FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
Before I start lease do not look at this post and think "There is someone who wants to look like some sort of a good Samaritan" - It is not meant in that way - I am genuinely very concerned!
A fortnight ago a very good friend and neighbour lost his wife of over 40 years! We all knew it was coming, he had told us when his wife (Christina) was taken into hospital a month ago that he knew that she was never going to recover! As expected his wife passed away and we (Most of the neighbours) rallied around and tried our best to support and help him.
Two of us in particular were very close to Dave and Christina and would often sit outside and chat together till the early hours of the morning while sinking a few beers together, so much so my wife started calling us "The Band Of Brothers" or "The Three Amigos"!
Anyway, last Saturday night one of our other neighbours (The third one of "The Band Of Brothers/Three Amigos") knocked on my door and said that he was very worried about Dave! Dave had just phoned him and said that he had had a fall and could not get up off the floor, but when he went to Dave's door it was locked and what did I think was the best plan of action? Neither of us had a contact number for any of Dave's relatives so I said that maybe under the circumstances it might be better to give the police a call to ask their advice. This we did together and the police said that it might be better to call an ambulance as they might be in a better position to advise. Again this we did straight away and an ambulance was dispatched. We waited (and in all fairness) the ambulance arrived quite quickly but in the mean time Dave had managed to make his way down the stairs on his back side one step at a time and had managed to unlock the door. He was pretty shaken and had blood coming from both of his legs where he had fallen so the ambulance staff decided that it was best to take him into hospital to get him checked over. The following day Dave's daughter turned up and gave us both her phone number so that if anything happened again we had someone to contact.
Moving on to just half an hour ago I went outside to have my last pipe of the night before walking the dog and going to bed and noticed Dave standing outside his door and looking very upset. I went over to him to make sure he was OK. As it was he had had a couple of glasses of scotch (But didn't really smell of an excess of alcohol) and he had placed a large "imitation" bunch of flowers in a pot just outside his door in memory of Christina and was saying "Good Night" to her. (He really was in tears and obviously heart broken) I tried to reassure him that we were always there for him if ever he needed a shoulder to cry on I/We would always be there for him.
With that he told me something that I did not expect and did not know how to reply to - He told me that after last Saturday night he was seriously thinking about "ending it all"!
I tried to tell him that doing that was not the answer and that he was and always be surrounded by people who cared about him and loved him and were always there to help him, but I was at a loss as to what else I could say to him.
Please if someone has ever found their selves in that position with a close friend tell me what else can be done or what can be said to avoid a situation that might be avoidable as I am at a loss and don't know what the hell else I can do for the best?
And before anyone thinks or suspects it NO I haven't been drinking tonight, I am just very worried and concerned about Dave's welfare and his state of mind and if you can offer any advice that you would rather not put on an open forum please feel free to PM me!
A fortnight ago a very good friend and neighbour lost his wife of over 40 years! We all knew it was coming, he had told us when his wife (Christina) was taken into hospital a month ago that he knew that she was never going to recover! As expected his wife passed away and we (Most of the neighbours) rallied around and tried our best to support and help him.
Two of us in particular were very close to Dave and Christina and would often sit outside and chat together till the early hours of the morning while sinking a few beers together, so much so my wife started calling us "The Band Of Brothers" or "The Three Amigos"!
Anyway, last Saturday night one of our other neighbours (The third one of "The Band Of Brothers/Three Amigos") knocked on my door and said that he was very worried about Dave! Dave had just phoned him and said that he had had a fall and could not get up off the floor, but when he went to Dave's door it was locked and what did I think was the best plan of action? Neither of us had a contact number for any of Dave's relatives so I said that maybe under the circumstances it might be better to give the police a call to ask their advice. This we did together and the police said that it might be better to call an ambulance as they might be in a better position to advise. Again this we did straight away and an ambulance was dispatched. We waited (and in all fairness) the ambulance arrived quite quickly but in the mean time Dave had managed to make his way down the stairs on his back side one step at a time and had managed to unlock the door. He was pretty shaken and had blood coming from both of his legs where he had fallen so the ambulance staff decided that it was best to take him into hospital to get him checked over. The following day Dave's daughter turned up and gave us both her phone number so that if anything happened again we had someone to contact.
Moving on to just half an hour ago I went outside to have my last pipe of the night before walking the dog and going to bed and noticed Dave standing outside his door and looking very upset. I went over to him to make sure he was OK. As it was he had had a couple of glasses of scotch (But didn't really smell of an excess of alcohol) and he had placed a large "imitation" bunch of flowers in a pot just outside his door in memory of Christina and was saying "Good Night" to her. (He really was in tears and obviously heart broken) I tried to reassure him that we were always there for him if ever he needed a shoulder to cry on I/We would always be there for him.
With that he told me something that I did not expect and did not know how to reply to - He told me that after last Saturday night he was seriously thinking about "ending it all"!
I tried to tell him that doing that was not the answer and that he was and always be surrounded by people who cared about him and loved him and were always there to help him, but I was at a loss as to what else I could say to him.
Please if someone has ever found their selves in that position with a close friend tell me what else can be done or what can be said to avoid a situation that might be avoidable as I am at a loss and don't know what the hell else I can do for the best?
And before anyone thinks or suspects it NO I haven't been drinking tonight, I am just very worried and concerned about Dave's welfare and his state of mind and if you can offer any advice that you would rather not put on an open forum please feel free to PM me!
