2008 Woodie Awards
It is apparently not so easy to love the elderly, yet please do
Sara Morehouse
Issue date: 2/27/07
Last Updated: 8/9/07
Vincenzo Riccardi, 70, was found dead in his Hampton Bays, New York, home on Feb. 1.
Police responded to call regarding broken water pipes and discovered Riccardi peacefully passed away in his chair with his TV determinedly humming in the background. The Suffolk County deputy chief medical examiner said he died of natural causes.
What can one do but sigh and say, "Well, it was his time." And, as an elderly, diabetic blind man, it probably was.
The last fact in this case was that his body was mummified from sitting undisturbed in his home for more than one year. That's right; he hadn't been heard from since December 2005.
One's mind instantly starts running with, "Didn't anyone notice he wasn't around?" "Why wasn't his electricity turned off when the bill wasn't paid?" and "How does anyone but ancient Egyptians achieve mummification status?"
Now, I can understand that this incident might slip through the cracks for a couple of days, but … for more than ONE YEAR.
Riccardi's neighbors were asked if they had noted his absence. No one had. Excuses ranged from his driveway being too long to assumptions that he was in a nursing home. One woman who used to help him with paying his bills, said he was beginning to demand too much of her. I don't think this woman would have had such a burden if everyone around had pitched in to care about Riccardi.
A common refrain today is that you don't have to see someone to care about them. E-mail, cell phones and MySpace are all enough to keep everyone in touch and engaged in each others lives.
I'm not sure about Riccardi's wireless status, but he did have a rope attached to his front porch and mailbox at the end of his driveway that he would follow to get his mail. In the past year, his mail piled up and then ceased to be delivered.
We are all "checked on" numerous times each day. People see us on campus, friends meet us to study (or not) and everyone talks to their parents at least every little while (I hope). Imagine if we didn't have this amazing community, daily interaction, or the inkling that someone even thinks about us with fondness.
Police responded to call regarding broken water pipes and discovered Riccardi peacefully passed away in his chair with his TV determinedly humming in the background. The Suffolk County deputy chief medical examiner said he died of natural causes.
What can one do but sigh and say, "Well, it was his time." And, as an elderly, diabetic blind man, it probably was.
The last fact in this case was that his body was mummified from sitting undisturbed in his home for more than one year. That's right; he hadn't been heard from since December 2005.
One's mind instantly starts running with, "Didn't anyone notice he wasn't around?" "Why wasn't his electricity turned off when the bill wasn't paid?" and "How does anyone but ancient Egyptians achieve mummification status?"
Now, I can understand that this incident might slip through the cracks for a couple of days, but … for more than ONE YEAR.
Riccardi's neighbors were asked if they had noted his absence. No one had. Excuses ranged from his driveway being too long to assumptions that he was in a nursing home. One woman who used to help him with paying his bills, said he was beginning to demand too much of her. I don't think this woman would have had such a burden if everyone around had pitched in to care about Riccardi.
A common refrain today is that you don't have to see someone to care about them. E-mail, cell phones and MySpace are all enough to keep everyone in touch and engaged in each others lives.
I'm not sure about Riccardi's wireless status, but he did have a rope attached to his front porch and mailbox at the end of his driveway that he would follow to get his mail. In the past year, his mail piled up and then ceased to be delivered.
We are all "checked on" numerous times each day. People see us on campus, friends meet us to study (or not) and everyone talks to their parents at least every little while (I hope). Imagine if we didn't have this amazing community, daily interaction, or the inkling that someone even thinks about us with fondness.
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