Yesterday, at the entrance of Meilongzhen on Nanjing West Road in Shanghai, an 86-year-old elderly man fell and received help from many kind-hearted people. Oriental Morning Post
Recently, a series of incidents where helping fallen elders resulted in being "extorted" have made originally warm-hearted citizens fearful of helping elders, even leading to situations where elders fall and have to seek help by offering money.
However, yesterday, near Jiangning Road on Nanjing West Road at the entrance of Meilongzhen Plaza in Shanghai, a white-haired elder suddenly collapsed on the road with blood streaming from his nose. Many passers-by who witnessed this immediately came forward to lend a hand. "Some handed water, some helped stop the bleeding, some supported him, some called 110 (police), and some called 120 (emergency medical services). It was a heartwarming scene," a netizen recalled in a Weibo post.
The elder fainted while on his way to see a doctor.
At around 12:45 PM yesterday, an elderly man in his eighties, with white hair, collapsed while crossing the road. His nose was bleeding profusely, and there were no family members around.
On the zebra crossing at the entrance of Meilongzhen Plaza, reporters saw several bloody tissues and dried bloodstains. It was understood that at the moment the elder urgently needed help, many passers-by extended their helping hands, supporting the elder, giving him water, helping clean his wounds, and calling for an ambulance. With the help of everyone, the elder was quickly sent to the nearby Jing'an District Central Hospital and received timely treatment.
No suspicion, only gratitude.
Subsequently, in the emergency hall of Jing'an District Central Hospital, reporters saw the elder lying on the hospital bed, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, weakly lying on the bed with a cut on his nose still oozing blood, and his elbows covered with dust from the fall.
The elder was quite weak, trembling slightly, and had poor hearing. When the reporter asked about the situation at the time, he vaguely replied, "I got dizzy and fell."
But regarding the help just provided by the passers-by, the elder remembered it vividly. He mistook the reporter for one of the helpers and repeatedly said "thank you" in a trembling voice.
Not long after, the elder's son, Mr. Chen, rushed to the emergency room. He also mistook the reporter for one of the passers-by who brought his father to the hospital and said the first words were "thank you," rather than the suspicious looks everyone imagined.
Mr. Chen told the reporter, "My father is already 86 years old, with poor health. He has been lying in bed at home and rarely gets up. In the morning, I took him to the Union Hospital for a check-up and was preparing to transfer him to the Geriatric Hospital. Because it was hard to find a taxi, I let him wait in one place while I went to look for a taxi. After half an hour, I finally found a taxi, but when I returned, my father was gone, which scared me to death." Later, when Mr. Chen reported the incident to the Nanjing Road Police Station, he learned from the police that his father had fallen and had already been sent to the hospital.
"My father has poor health; he usually walks with a tremble and has a bad memory. We need to be by his side all the time. Today, due to a moment of neglect, he got lost, which was really worrying. Fortunately, there were good-hearted people who helped him," Mr. Chen said gratefully.
Online voices
"We will all help together"
The heartwarming scene of many people helping the fallen elder was uploaded to Weibo by netizens and sparked much discussion.
@Wen Ji Petty: It reminded me of my late grandfather. Once, he also fell and broke a bone outside and couldn't get up. At that time, there were kind-hearted people who helped send him to the hospital, and we are still grateful to them. This spirit should be revived and not drowned in the tide of indifference. A thumbs up!
@Lou Jia Dada: In this increasingly cold society, the spirit of Lei Feng is still worth promoting and learning. The government and media also have the responsibility to correct distorted moral views so as to correctly educate the next generation.
@Mo Shang Xiao Zhe Hua Kai: Suddenly, a warm current ran through my body. In this society, if a good person is surrounded by onlookers, it seems too indifferent. If we are afraid of being wronged for doing good deeds but also worried about our conscience, then let's do it together! Let's help together!
@Qing Qing Zi Jin 516: If more people offer help, there would be no problem of extortion. Alas, learning from Lei Feng now also requires skill.
@ChristianChen: My first reaction to this news was, if we all help together, there will be no "misunderstanding."
@Xia Gu Rou Qing De Yang Hua: First, this reflects the excellent quality of big city residents - helping each other when someone is in trouble, worthy of praise; Second, collectively helping the fallen elder is a good way to prevent being bitten back.
@Zu San Ji: Whether in groups or individually, help comes from all sides when someone is in trouble.
Editor's Note
Thank you for "helping an elder"
Helping elders should naturally be a matter of righteousness, but reality is often frustrating.
In 2006, the "Peng Yu case" marked the beginning of incidents where well-intentioned help led to trouble. On November 20, 2006, Peng Yu claimed that he helped an elderly woman who had fallen at a bus stop, but she accused him of knocking her down. As a result, Peng Yu was ordered to pay the elderly woman over 40,000 RMB. Finally, both parties reached a settlement during the second trial.
Five years later, in 2011, multiple "Peng Yu cases" occurred across China, making it difficult to "help a fallen elder."
On August 4, in Zhengzhou, Henan, 28-year-old Jia Jianying claimed that he kindly helped an elderly woman who had fallen and was extorted for 100,000 RMB, hoping eyewitnesses would stand up to clear his name.
On August 22, in Tianjin, car owner Xu Yunhe, after helping an elderly woman who had fallen while climbing a road barrier illegally, was sentenced by the Red Bridge District People's Court in Tianjin to pay over 100,000 RMB. The incident happened on October 21, 2009. Xu Yunhe claimed that he stopped his car voluntarily, got out, and helped the elderly woman Wang Xiuzhi who had fallen, but the woman claimed that she was knocked down by Xu Yunhe's car.
On August 26, in Nantong, Jiangsu, an elderly man riding a tricycle was injured in a collision. Bus driver Yin Hongbin got out of his vehicle to help the elderly man, but the man insisted that he was hit by Yin Hongbin's bus. The police had to retrieve surveillance footage to clear Yin Hongbin's name.
On August 28, in Wuhan, Hubei, Hu, who was riding an electric scooter, helped an elderly woman who had fallen at a crossroads but was falsely accused of hitting her with his scooter. Witnessed pedestrians testified for Hu, and after extensive investigation by the police, Hu narrowly avoided trouble.
...
Good intentions without good results eventually produced the heartbreaking "side effects."
On September 6, in Wuhan, Hubei, an 88-year-old man collapsed less than 100 meters away from his home at the entrance of a market. No one dared to help him. An hour later, the man died from suffocation caused by blocked nasal bleeding.
When a series of "daring not to help a fallen elder" incidents sparked heated social discussions, the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of the Ministry of Health issued the "Guidelines for Interventions in Elderly Falls" in early September, suggesting that when encountering a fallen elder, one should not rush to help them up but should handle the situation according to specific circumstances and emergency principles. The guidelines proposed that if the elder is conscious, the rescuer should inquire about the elder's fall and whether they remember the process of the fall. If they cannot recall, it may be syncope or a cerebrovascular accident, and the elder should be immediately taken to the hospital or emergency services should be called.
The "timely" publication of the "Guidelines for Interventions in Elderly Falls" by the Ministry of Health undoubtedly added much to the already hotly debated topic. This harm intervention guideline spans 41 pages and over 23,000 words. Some netizens commented that the technical requirements listed therein make it difficult for ordinary people to "meet the standard." Compared to "how to help when an elder falls," netizens and the media seem more concerned with the question of "whether or not to help."
A commentary questioned - can a technical guideline cure society's "fear of helping elders?" The answer is undoubtedly negative.
On September 25, Ms. Hou from Beijing reflected to the media that on that day, while buying vegetables at the market, she helped an elderly man who had fallen and was instead suspected by the elder and his family, forcing her to pay a 2500 RMB deposit for hospitalization.
Fortunately, amidst the societal confusion of whether or not to help a fallen elder, a heartwarming scene appeared in the bustling district of Shanghai - on September 29, a white-haired elder fell and was helped by many people, without suspicion or doubt, only hearing heartfelt "thank yous." Netizens uploaded pictures to Weibo showing the elder with white hair using a tissue to wipe the blood flowing from his nose, while a young boy held him from behind.
This scene warmed many people.
Helping elders relies more on human hearts.
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