Ok, so I think I did the right thing here but prepared to be told wrong.
Walking through a practically deserted high street earlier today with DD (2). Came across a older man who seemed to be looking for something. I offered help (I've lived in the town all my life so know where most things are) but he kept saying "I don't know where I am, I want to go home". I guessed he had some form of dementia.
There was nowhere open in the high street with it being Sunday (I was walking through as there's a nice park just off the top and I was taking DD there) so I got him sat down on a bench, and another passerby came over offering to help.
We tried to find out where he lived but he kept saying "London" and with the town being around 250 miles from London, thought while plausible highly unlikely thats where he now lives. So the passerby and I decided to call 101 to ask for advice/help as there's no longer a police station in our town.
Hoped the police would tell us where to take him, but they said they'd send an officer down to us from the city which is about 10 miles away. They advised us to take him to the cafe at the local supermarket as it would be open and due to the heat they were worried about him being dehydrated due to the heat.
He had a lovely time with us, and I got chatting to the other lady. The man by this point thought I was his granddaughter and my daughter was his great grandson (I felt bad constantly correcting him and DD didn't care so I let him call her he - she was wearing a grey tshirt and blue shorts with butterflies on but at a distance could easily be mistaken for a boy).
Eventually a plain clothed officer (I assumed to not scare him more?) turned up and said she knew where he was from. As soon as the officer said she was taking him home, he laughed and off he went. I called 101 later and the nursing home were happy to have him back and that he'd got there safely.
When discussing this with a friend she said I shouldn't have bothered the police and instead should of rung round all the local homes and taken him back myself as it was likely he was from one of them. I pointed out there's at least 8 nursing and residential homes that I know of the area, and phoning them could take all day, when the important thing was keeping both him and my DD safe. We did try to find out where he lived (I'd have called the home if I'd have been able to work out where he lived and asked them to collect him).
She said I still did the wrong thing and possibly got the home in trouble if he's managed to escape.
I don't think I was UR, but MN tell me if I was? I'm worried they're all back at the police station laughing at the stupid women who called the police over an old man.