EXTREMELY WORRIED ABOUT NEIGHBOUR! What to do???!

[BabyBentleyBlonde]

so this lady lived in my building for years, we’d say hi to each other

then she started acting very strange.

she for a year now

1. knocks/touches my door and leaves
2. has this like weird/crazy/scared/confused look in her face. sometimes, I walk outside and she stands and stares at me
3. she is everyday wearing nothing but tank top and short shorts in this freezing cold weather
4. is digging through rubbish bins for hours everyday. Or Checking bin like 30 times a day
5. Walks out at 3am and also digs through rubbish bins
6. keeps asking people for cigarette despite never smoking

she looks older than 50 and always walked with cane

is it possible this is like dementia? I’m worried about her. Should I report her and try to get her help?? I’m worried she is not getting the help/care she needs?

I mean she is outside is very cold weather in tiny shorts and tank top. Digging through rubbish

we live in this big building and I don’t know what flat she lives in.

my question is should I report, and who do I report to? And how do I find out which building she lives in?

I would call 101 and share my concerns

I’m not sure how you can actually report it to anyone without a bit more info ie name, address, DOB. Social care can’t even open a referral without that.

It would only be police or ambulance who could realistically respond to such vague info really and as PP have said police will no longer do welfare checks. You could report her harassing you with the door knocking though to the non emergency number 101. They won’t arrest her or anything but they had powers to investigate a bit more who she is etc and they can make a safeguarding report to her GP or MH team if she has one.

I’d say call 101 next time she’s harassing you and report it and they might come and do something

Why did you feel the need to post identifying info?

Unless it’s a really small place you live in and they know her already by description I really can’t imagine what calling social care will achieve.

You can’t refer someone without basic details as it can’t even get logged on the system. What’s the person on the end of the phone going to do or say? ‘Err thanks for that. A lady whose name and address you don’t know is acting oddly near an address’
What the hell can they do with that?

We get these on the mental heath emergency line. I know people mean well but do they think mental heath and social workers have some investigative powers to figure out who they person is or a blue light to come then and there cos we don’t?

Surely only identifiable to the handful of people who witnessed the rugby tackle! Are you one of those people, chances are slim surely. Prepares to be told I'm wrong

Housing association is another good shout as they have a duty of care to their residents and more likely to know who she is/ where she lives. If they get multiple reports they can do a welfare check and housing officers have routes into services.

We had this with an elderly neighbour who took to going out in one shoe and one slipper and wandering. The difference was that this is a small town so we knew her name and where she lived. Assuming you're in the UK, does your county council have something like "community wardens"? Check the website and, if so, give your local one a call. If they're any good (ours are excellent), they will alert the appropriate people.

Might be worth contacting the ‘help the aged’ line and get their advice. It sounds as though this lady may have a form of dementia and need care.

Have you asked neighbours adjacent to you if they know which flat she lives in? Could you discretely follow her back to her flat? I think once you know which flat, a call to adult social care is needed. She sounds mentally unwell.

Who manages your block? Some block management is awful but if it is a good one, talk to them.

Issues with elderly people who become unable to cope are not uncommon. They are almost certainly aware of problems as she may not be paying her bills or granting access to workmen or setting off fire alarms, so will know which flat she is in. They will also be in good position to report. Not least they have a duty if they perceive her as a risk to either herself or to others.

She sounds very vulnerable and in need of help. Possibly schizophrenia, dementia or a very advanced untreated UTI. A welfare visit would be a great start.

Please call social services and report a welfare concern. And keep doing so every time you see her doing something concerning.

I think you should be phoning police and explaining you have concerns about their wellbeing and that this person is obviously self neglecting for some time now. They will get them plugged into the support services that they need.
shes lucky she has you for a neighbour.

I hope you are successful.

We had a similar situation in terms of welfare concerns but unfortunately not a great outcome. It was a neighbour and we had full name and address.

Myself and other neighbours reported her as a welfare concern on the council website, plus concerns to environmental health. She has been reported to DVLA as she is still driving. Nothing has happened on the driving front.

Adult social care/welfare said she was well known to them. They referred to environmental health who dealt with the rat infestation a few years ago… but apart from that nothing.

She doesn’t pay her bills so has no lighting. She often sleeps in her car. Her house is full of her hoarding and her garden harbours rats and the weight of years of unchecked brambles has caused her fencing to fall down.

They said ultimately people can live as they choose…

OP I'm a GP and this does sound concerning. I'd be concerned about emerging mental illness or an acute infection. The latter could become life threatening quickly. Have you tried telling her that you're concerned? Would she be willing to let you take her to a GP appointment or call her an ambulance? My advice would be to try and work with her and see what she'll consent to first. If she won't cooperate then at the very least I'd report to adult social care and if you're significantly concerned for her welfare I'd call 999. I'd be taking this seriously and I'd be especially concerned about her wandering off and getting lost especially in these freezing temperatures. She could freeze to death quite quickly

https://giveusashout.org/ have an online & phone advice service

I have a neighbour who occasionally behaves like this - she has diagnosed schizophrenia and it's when she forgets to take her medication. We're on a single-track lane, and the neighbours are all aware. We take a jacket out (she's usually naked or topless sadly), and guide her back home, and give her crisis team a ring.

I have some experience in the field of dementia. Inappropriate clothing for weather, eccentric dressing, nightime activity - turning night into day, general confusion, speaking in platitudes can be indicators. Previous posters have suggested schizophrenia.

Please do call social services older adult team.

My late neighbour began not understanding how to drive which her husband dealt with promptly. Instead of coming to my door she would hammer on my front window. It was always the same story when I let her in. The phones were down. I reassured her they were not but could only pacify her by letting her check my phone. Again, this lady needs help so please do call.

It does sound a lot like early onset dementia. When my mum started with this I would phone her and she would tell me about her perfectly normal day, but then her neighbours would phone me and tell me that was walking the street and knocking on people's doors at 3am and constantly needed taking home.

Does she have any family who visit her that you could keep an eye out for and speak to when they come next? They may think they have everything under control but are not aware of how she is when they are not there. In any case I am sure they would appreciate there is a neighbour keeping an eye out on her.

Do you know if she ever has visitors? Definitely alert the adult safeguarding service but also talk to one of her relatives or friends if this is possible. Good luck hope this has a positive outcome 🙏

If you know her details and likely GP it may be worth letting them know. You can also try adult social care but its voluntary unless a person is deemed to lack capacity. She might have a condition where you does not think there's anything wrong.

If she outside in freezing cold going through bins I think I'd be tempted to call a non emergency police line for someone having a mental health episode.

As her behaviour has changed (for the worse) I would definitely ring Adult Social Services and ask for a welfare check. As ppl suggest, follow her discretely back to her flat to see where she lives.
You are a great person for looking out for her.

Just for future info as this comes up frequently:

Police will only deal with individuals if they are AT THAT MOMENT causing harm to themselves or someone else

https://www.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/concern-for-welfare/right-care-right-person/

If they appear to be unwell either physically or mentally you can call 111 - they are likely to ask you to go and speak to the person so that they can offer them an assessment - if they say no, they will record the concern and can contact adult social care, but they cannot assess if person refuses.

111 can record a safeguarding concern if there are no actual symptoms but they will pass this on to social services and it is likely quicker to contact Adult social services direct. Link below will help find the right one

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-health-services/local-authority-adult-social-care/

For concerns about hoarding/ environmental risks that are being caused by someone - if these are leading to risks to others e.g rats/or noise/ fire risks then you can either ring the council for environmental health or the fire service if there is a fire risk - they will contact the person to discuss.

Individuals who have capacity are permitted to make bad decisions (dressing inappropriately) , refusing help, refusing treatment. Capacity decisions are usually made by GPs or other HCPs.

Can I say on behalf of 111 that we cannot do anything at all unless we know the persons name and details. How can we ‘make a report’ with no details of who they are??

Essentially nobody can do anything at all about this on such a vague report with no name or address it’s a non starter.

OP would need to go and speak to the person and try to get some details out of her and ideally her consent to contact someone to help her. If she calls 111 it will need to be in the presence of the person because they might indeed have capacity and be making an unwise choice to drink themselves to death or whatever. No one can say what this is could be dementia, a psychotic illness, a physical or neuro problem or tbh I thought the description sounded a lot like a person addicted to crack or spice.