Family and friends of a 73-year-old woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and has been missing since December 12 are holding a silent vigil on Thursday to raise awareness of her disappearance.
The vigil, originally planned at the Quinta de Santo Antonio, in Restelo, near the San Francisco Xavier Hospital, will take place in front of the Assembly of the Republic at 6:30 p.m., a family friend told Lusa in a note. . .
The 73-year-old woman went missing on December 12 last year after leaving the San Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon on her own leg.
To raise awareness of the issue of missing people with dementia, family and friends have created a public petition which can be signed here and remember that the missing woman “could be any of our parents or grandparents”.
By 12pm this Wednesday, 1,979 people had already signed the petition, which aims to “improve the prevention and response to people with dementia going missing.”
Among other things, the petition asks the government and the Assembly of the Republic to amend Law 15/2014. [que consolida a matéria de direitos e deveres do utente dos serviços de saúde]namely by adding a regime of regulatory sanctions for failure to respect the right to accompany people in situations of vulnerability and dependency, especially people with dementia.
On December 15, a source from the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the PSP told Lusa that on the day the woman disappeared, a “missing report” was filed and efforts were being made to find her.
A PSP source today said there were “movements in the works” but did not elaborate, only saying “steps have been taken” in the case of the woman who disappeared in December.
West Lisbon Hospital Center, which owns San Francisco Xavier Hospital, said in a Dec. 14 statement that the patient was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday. [12 de dezembro]and left him “at his own pace that same day, awaiting medical observation.”
According to the statement, “the clinical record showed the woman’s good general condition” and the fact that she was “conscious, under the guidance of and cooperating with the specialists during the interaction.”
“After a family member accompanying her confirmed her disappearance, the usual procedures in these cases were carried out: viewing images from cameras outside the hospital and establishing that she had left the hospital herself at 18:00. reporting to the PSP post about the location and inspection of all premises of the hospital by specialists for possible penetration of unidentified persons through another door,” the note says.
A source from the West Lisbon Hospital Center told Lusa that hospital staff were nearby and may have seen the woman in the Alges area.
A message continues to circulate on social media calling for the disappearance of a 73-year-old woman, saying she was wearing black leggings, a dark blue knit sweater and hospital slippers at the time.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.