It turns out people don’t always break into apartments to steal; sometimes they break in just to sleep. That’s exactly what happened to a Tennessee man who woke up to a startling sight one morning. There, on his couch, was an elderly woman he had never seen before, fast asleep like she belonged there.
While many people might have panicked or reacted defensively, he chose compassion. Instead of confronting her, he quietly called the police so she could get the help she clearly needed. When officers arrived and approached the woman, he reassured them that it wasn’t an emergency, just an unusual and delicate situation that needed to be handled with care.
According to one of the officers, they had actually gotten a call about two hours earlier from another resident on the same floor reporting a break-in. By the time police responded to that first call, the intruder was already gone, suggesting the same woman simply wandered into the next apartment afterward.
Once officers entered the Tennessee man’s home, one of them gently woke the woman and began asking basic questions to check her awareness. It became clear very quickly that she wasn’t fully oriented. When asked where she was, she replied, “Mississippi.” When asked about medical issues, she said she had recently undergone surgery. She also couldn’t recall her age.
Yet, in a strange twist, when asked who the president was, she answered “Trump” immediately. She also knew there were two nickels in a dime, so some things were still connecting.
As officers continued talking to her, the man stepped away to check whether he had accidentally left his doors unlocked. Sure enough, both his back porch door and his front door were open, meaning she likely wandered in through one of them. Throughout the entire exchange, the woman never got up from the couch, further showing how unwell she was.
Thankfully, she did receive help. By the end of the video, paramedics were assisting her into an ambulance to get the medical care she clearly needed. With any luck, she’ll recover safely and won’t end up wandering into anyone else’s apartment again.
People Reacting to the Tennessee Man’s Video
A lot of people applauded the Tennessee man for his kindness and for getting the old woman some help. Not many would have done the same. This is why one person said, “This is sad. Thanks for being nice.” One woman also wrote, “How did they know that she was homeless and thank you, sir for being so kind and understanding my mom is 84 and seeing this precious lady was heartbreaking.” It is definitely sad to see an elderly person like this. Unfortunately, some people believed that the man should have reacted differently. “Really not a big deal?!?! It’s A HUGE DEAL,” someone said. This made another person explain, “She didn’t pose a threat, she was asleep and probably has dementia. Glad he got her help.”
Plenty of viewers urged the Tennessee man to take the situation more seriously. One person commented, “Why did they not immediately get her off your furniture? I’m sorry, but this is alarming. She could have bed bugs, etc. They can be kind but still remove her and handle it in the hallway.”
After seeing enough comments like that, he decided to reply. “I’ve been seeing this comment or versions of it,” he wrote. “All I really cared about in the moment was getting her some help. After I got home from work, I took all the covers off the cushions to my couch and took them to a dry cleaner. It was slightly inconvenient, and the dry cleaner slightly ruined some of the edges of my cushions, but I guess that’s the lesson you learn when you don’t lock your doors.”
His response summed up the situation perfectly: yes, safety matters, but so does compassion. Sometimes, choosing kindness in the moment is what makes all the difference.
