Coffee-FlavoredSweat t1_j9pe3m2 wrote on February 23, 2023 at 5:02 PM

Reply to comment by Coffee-FlavoredSweat in Missing intellectually disabled persons- please share widely! by uppitycrip

I’d bet they passed through Springfield on the way to Topsfield because of their disorientation, thinking it was Topsham. Once they got to Topsfield and realized they were still lost, they may have recognized signs for Route 1 and followed that either north or south.

Coffee-FlavoredSweat t1_j9pht3f wrote on February 23, 2023 at 5:25 PM

Once the women are found, the families really need to look into a GPS tracker for the future. They make trackers that just plug into the OBDII port under the dashboard and then you can track the vehicle wherever with an app on your phone.

DidDunMegasploded t1_j9q2ab5 wrote on February 23, 2023 at 7:32 PM

Let me take it one step further: they shouldn't be driving at all.

Seriously. Even my grandfather gave up driving when he hit his late 60s, and over the years, he became afflicted by memory loss until he was almost a vegetable by the time I visited him in the nursing home in what would be the final time I ever saw him.

If these women come out of this alive, I will be utterly floored. But elderly people who are disoriented and don't have a good sense of direction should not be on the roads.

Coffee-FlavoredSweat t1_j9q3g61 wrote on February 23, 2023 at 7:39 PM

I wouldn’t go that far. There are a number of reasons why this could have happened, some of which include unbalanced medications for mental health issues.

I have a family member who is perfectly capable of driving a vehicle and getting from place to place without issue, but twice in the past decade she’s gone off her meds and there were issues. Once she drove across 3 states before she got pulled over and the officer recognized a mental health issue, the second time she was just 2 towns over knocking on a random door asking if she could buy their house.

I don’t know these two women or their situation, but I don’t think we can just assume they both have advanced dementia and belong in a nursing home, rather than just an isolated issue that can be fixed.

procrastinatorsuprem t1_j9r6le3 wrote on February 23, 2023 at 11:47 PM

They are in their early 50s and don't have dementia. If they are on meds they've probably run out since they've been missing for days.

LawDogSavy t1_j9q90at wrote on February 23, 2023 at 8:14 PM

Or at least someone show them how to use Google Maps.