Poorly planned escapes

This week has seen an unusually high number of residents running out the alarmed doors at the mental health facility. Perhaps the warm weather has something to do with it, or perhaps the increase in first-time admittances. Whatever the reason, the run-aways have been tragically unsuccessful:

On Saturday, "Fred" packed his duffel bag, put on a hoodie, and bolted out the door. He ran several blocks before seeking refuge from the police in an unlocked building. Unfortunately, the building he ran into was another psych facility.

Sunday, "Zach" gathered all the change he had, snuck out a side door, and got on a bus to head out of town. As luck would have it, the bus Zach boarded also happened to be the bus that an off-duty staff member was taking on her way to church. She had the bus driver talk to the police on her cell phone and the bus was soon pulled over so Zach could be escorted off.

Monday was the usual drill by "Joe," a long-time resident who likes to open the alarmed door and walk very slowly so staff can easily catch him because, really, he has no place to go; it's more for his own amusement than anything else.

Today, a very delusional resident, "Sarah," walked out the front door, apparently believing she had somewhere to be. We redirected her back into the building and to her room. She seemed to be more oriented afterward, until she approached me later saying, "Oh, thank you so much for saving me from getting hit by that car!" Not so sure about that one.


We'll see how tomorrow goes.