Pride comes before a fall - Well yes I've witnessed that today and still feel guilty.

[TheShowMustGoOn]

As we walked from school I saw an elderly neighbour shuffling through the sludgey snow and struggling with her shopping trolley and other bags.

I offered to help and she refused.

Got home then heard an ambulance stopping outside and she had fallen and was surrounded by people.

I should have insisted maybe?

I so hope she's okay. She's such a lovely lady - I'd planned to take a card and some jam tarts to her later for christmas.

You offered.

Don't feel guilty.

Do you know her? If not, she might have felt uncomfortable accepting.

Ah poor old duck, she might have thought you were going to mug hehr or something

If you had insisted, she might have felt threatened....

Take something round as you said, she will be over the moon.

You couldn't really have insisted - she was entitled to refuse your help. Maybe she didn't feel she needed any help, then just slipped - it's so easy to do in this weather. I'm sure a visit with some jam tarts (I love jam tarts) would be much appreciated.

If she refuses them you can bring them round to me

She's just knocked on our door - she was checked over at A&E and fine just shaken.

She brought a little gift for the DC and came in for a cuppa.

I do know her - she is two doors way and I've helped her with her gardening in the past.

YANBU

You weren't to know she would fall, she probably felt fine and it wasn't anything to do with pride.

awww....have 2 elderly ladies on our close. am going to offer to take them shopping or get stuff in for them. they seem to always refuse tho...is it pride?

I just keep thinking had I insisted then she'd have got home fine.

But also I can see myself in the same position in 40 years time and probably wanting to manage for myself.

I agree with your last post TheShow - older people are just us - only older.

Glad she's OK - a bad fall can really shake someone up (incidentally - why is it "a fall" if you are old, but fell over if you aren't ? )

Haha yes.

I suppose though that a 30 year old decking it because she's drunk is different to a 70 year old falling and potentially doing big damage?

Well, you could have helped her get home fine and then two minutes later she could have fallen inside her house. At that point, she'd be even more helpless if she couldn't reach the phone or yell loudly enough for the neighbors to hear.

Sounds like everything worked out alright. Don't feel guilty for not insisting. Old people don't like to be bossed around.

You did everything right and she obviously doesn't think anything of it.
You'd have a right to feel bad if you'd seen her struggling, thought about helping but not said anything and walked off, but you didn't!