Grandma is lost

June 18, 2011 5:38 PM

MeFite Simulare's grandmother has been missing in San Francisco for 24 hours. She suffers from dementia. Please help. UPDATE: found!

The current thread is here on AskMe, but many folks don't regularly visit that subsite. Simulare (Steve) needs help searching and flyering in SF, but also generally getting the word out via (social) media. Details in the thread.

posted by likeso to MetaFilter-Related at 5:38 PM (52 comments total)

I called Steve and he is presently stuck in Atlanta, but his cousin is coordinating efforts. I will report back with any information or directives from his cousin.
posted by fake at 6:01 PM on June 18, 2011

Status check: 6-8 cars are being coordinated by my cousin Julia to methodically scour the Richmond. @fake is awesome and is joining up with the search team. I'm hearing that my grandmother was on the local news and hopeful that'll help spread the word. I'm in Atlanta for at least the next 8-10 hours and am spending that time calling and sending emails to local churches and hospitals (the hospitals have been contacted already by Julia but it seems to make sense to check in). After that I intend to hit local restaurants and shops with the flier.

Send me a message if you can join and I'll put you in touch with Julia. Thank you all.
posted by simulare at 6:22 PM on June 18, 2011

Best of luck simulare. I hope your grandma is found safe and sound very soon.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:15 PM on June 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

I've never found myself hoping for Metafilter's pooled resources to come through more than I'm hoping right now.
posted by item at 7:30 PM on June 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Fake is a special person in MeFi's hive help.
posted by k8t at 7:59 PM on June 18, 2011 [26 favorites]

If there is anything I as a non San-Franciscian can do to help get the word out, please let me know. I'd be happy to write to local news agencies or make other requests.
posted by WidgetAlley at 8:20 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Has a "SILVER ALERT" been issued. This happens AFTER you report this to law enforcement.
posted by hal_c_on at 9:15 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

A link here is going green on Fark in about 30 minutes.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:15 PM on June 18, 2011

http://nationalsilveralert.org/
posted by hal_c_on at 9:16 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

hal_c_on's silver alert idea is brilliant, as well as WidgetAlley's idea about contacting the local news, I would definitely recommend that as I remember seeing notices of missing seniors, especially those with dementia, in Victoria on the nightly local news.

Steve, I hope you locate your grandmother quickly and all is well with her.
posted by 1000monkeys at 9:20 PM on June 18, 2011

Fark thread.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:54 PM on June 18, 2011

Unfortunately the Silver Alert system hasn't been set up in California. The legislation didn't go through/or is still pending.
posted by grapesaresour at 9:59 PM on June 18, 2011

It's also now on reddit.
posted by grapesaresour at 10:00 PM on June 18, 2011

Just want to say that everyone here is awesome. It's such a comfort knowing that this group is pooling resources to find Grandma.

My (late) 92-year-old Grandma had dementia too. If she had wandered off, I'd feel so much better knowing that Metafilter was keeping an eye out for her.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:14 PM on June 18, 2011 [3 favorites]

Just got word that she was found on 38th and Fulton. Details to come. Thank you all.

^ From the facebook group.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 10:16 PM on June 18, 2011 [7 favorites]

WOW, great news! :)
posted by 1000monkeys at 10:18 PM on June 18, 2011

Go internet!
posted by loquacious at 10:28 PM on June 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wow, that's fantastic news! Another humbling experience of watching the MeFi community in action. Great job guys!
posted by marsha56 at 10:28 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Aw. Not going to lie, I'm tearing up a little. <3 grandma and maker's mark.
posted by empyrean at 10:37 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

To be clear, it's me with the Maker's Mark. Shutting up now.
posted by empyrean at 10:42 PM on June 18, 2011

I thought you meant me.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 10:45 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

So, we're gonna sidebar this, right?
posted by marsha56 at 10:45 PM on June 18, 2011

Simulare, that is great news! Glad to hear she has been found! What a big relief for you and your family (and for your grandma, too, of course).
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:46 PM on June 18, 2011

empyrean, I've got some MM handy m'self. Mmmmm, MM.

Can anyone post a screenshot of the FB group? I don't have FB.
posted by fake at 10:49 PM on June 18, 2011

Hey, OP friend of simulare here, on phone. Don't know what search party found her, so don't want to immediately aggrandize the Internet squad just yet. But the support here is ASTOUNDING. Thank you. Just... Thank you! I have found good people here. If anyone comes to NYC, you have friends.
posted by functionequalsform at 10:53 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

PS - makers mark on me. Through the Internet. Yall got it yet?
posted by functionequalsform at 10:54 PM on June 18, 2011

Well, I definitely didn't find her, and I got the impression that the rest of the drivers were all family/friends - so it was likely Not The Internet So Much, though the awareness, support, information, and advice all contributed to a Very Damn Good And Also Thorough Search Effort. We'll know who actually found her soon, I am sure.

functionequalsform - Got it, yes :)
posted by fake at 10:58 PM on June 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Metafilter is the best filter.







I'm tipsy. I love you all.
posted by functionequalsform at 11:10 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Also, here's a short screengrab of the FB group, fake. Going to bed now, finally!
posted by functionequalsform at 11:13 PM on June 18, 2011

THANK YOU, that's great to see.
posted by fake at 11:18 PM on June 18, 2011

HUZZAH!!

*throws hat in air*
posted by scody at 11:26 PM on June 18, 2011

I love it when a plan comes together.
posted by deborah at 11:37 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hurray! Grandmothers for everyone!
posted by klangklangston at 11:40 PM on June 18, 2011 [21 favorites]

Hey, OP friend of simulare here, on phone. Don't know what search party found her, so don't want to immediately aggrandize the Internet squad just yet. But the support here is ASTOUNDING. Thank you. Just... Thank you! I have found good people here. If anyone comes to NYC, you have friends.

FANTASTIC! Glad she's ok!

Now for jokes:

I still maintain that everyone has a racist grandma. I would think it be awesome if all our racist grandmas got lost in San Francisco.
posted by hal_c_on at 11:43 PM on June 18, 2011

Oy. Scary stuff. Glad it worked out. Man, she was found four blocks from my parents' place.
posted by troymccluresf at 11:44 PM on June 18, 2011

Pony request for metafilter: an official Hall Of Fame. There's several people in this thread and over at askme that need nominating, but let me start with Fake.
posted by DreamerFi at 12:29 AM on June 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

This is the best news to wake up to - Happy Found Grandma Day everybody!

(oh, and give your dad a call, if you can)
posted by likeso at 1:37 AM on June 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

The thing that made me - on the other side of the planet - want to help was the fact that a dementia-sufferer wandered off in our little old country town. She knocked on a door and was turned away. She was found, frozen stiff, weeks later. Awful. I was so desperately keen that Steve's grandma wouldn't end up the same way.

So glad that Steve's grandma was found alive and well. So SO GLAD!

Yep, Mefi needs a Hall of Fame, and Fake should be first and foremost.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 3:00 AM on June 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

So glad to know she was found! I was worried for her.

Can I just say I'm pretty shocked that the Silver Alert system isn't nationwide? I see one at least weekly, it seems like, in Chicago. I hope California and the other states that don't have a system set up manage to do so soon.
posted by sugarfish at 5:00 AM on June 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I love this random amazing community!

This really was the best news to wake to. I agree, likeso.
posted by anya32 at 6:54 AM on June 19, 2011

So, we're gonna sidebar this, right?

I don't think so? I'm very happy for Steve's grandma and his entire family but as nice as it is to see the outpouring of support (and happy ending) this isn't much of a MeFi story and probably better kept in MeTa with people who read MeTa and not opening it up to the "why is it okay to use MeTa for this??" interrogation that would likely follow. Just FYI, since you asked.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:51 AM on June 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

...and not opening it up to the "why is it okay to use MeTa for this??" interrogation that would likely follow.

I understand. Thanks jessamyn.
posted by marsha56 at 8:05 AM on June 19, 2011

This is what community is for.
posted by theora55 at 8:17 AM on June 19, 2011

WHY THE HELL IS THIS AN APPROPRIATE USE OF META....... kidding kidding
posted by wheelieman at 8:34 AM on June 19, 2011

Ow, my eyes are stinging.

Everyone who still can, go hug your grandmothers. 'Cos I can't hug mine anymore.
posted by cmyk at 10:15 AM on June 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

So glad to hear that she's safe.
posted by mogget at 10:37 AM on June 19, 2011

What's with the above the fold spoiler?
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:56 PM on June 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Real life is full of such spoilers. They are called endings.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:52 PM on June 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

Oh wow, this is awesome! I was down at Ocean Beach today with a friend, and we saw one of y'all's flyers on the ladies' room door at Beach Chalet, and it made us both really sad (and I hadn't even seen the AskMe thread at that point). I am so glad to hear she's safe!
posted by naoko at 11:50 PM on June 19, 2011

HUGS for everyone!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:39 AM on June 20, 2011

Happy to hear it!
posted by the young rope-rider at 2:28 PM on June 20, 2011

Fake is pretty much the closest thing that MetaFilter has to a superhero (remember The Russian Incident?)

_{Okay. Second closest.}
posted by schmod at 10:17 AM on June 27, 2011