Happy ending after lost and confused elderly Hudson Valley man ends up in Queens
NEW YORK - A vulnerable Hudson Valley man got lost and ended up all the way in Queens.
Sam Makhmaltchi and his family shared with CBS New York's Jenna DeAngelis how they were reunited, and are offering tips for others.
"When you're lost and confused, nobody should go through that," Jon Makhmaltchi said.
But for three days, Sam Makhmaltchi was missing, and his family was a wreck. It started when the 82-year-old left his Rhinebeck home and didn't return.
"I end up somewhere on a boat, huge boat. I guess I was imagining it. So then I left the boat, came out, and I was lost," Sam Makhmaltchi said.
He was in his car, 100 miles from home, in Queens. He was lost and confused. He knocked on a stranger's door, who called 911. Northwell EMTs evaluated the confused man and charged his dead phone.
"He got a text message that said, 'Please charge your phone,' with a phone number," EMT Kaitlyn DeMarco said.
They connected with his worried family, who had already involved state police, which issued a Silver Alert.
"They were tracking through my dad's American Express cards ... and also the license plates," Jon Makhmaltchi said.
"How did you feel when you were reunited with your family?" DeAngelis said.
"Are you kidding me? I hadn't eaten for three days. I would eat the next tree that I saw. I was so hungry. I was so excited. I hugged all of them," Sam Makhmaltchi said.
Now, Sam is equipped with tracking tools from a bracelet to air tags and his son's phone.
The staff that treated him at LIJ Medical Center offered other tips.
"Things like medical alerts, ID bands, Life Alerts that elderly patients can wear. We want to prioritize filling out emergency contacts on people's cell phones," Dr. Eugene Vortsman said.
The family hopes sharing their experience, and these tips, will help others.
"It was tough for all of us. We don't want that happening to anybody else," Jon Makhmalchi said.
Doctors say 20% of all emergency room visits are dementia patients, and situations like this happen at LIJ Medical Center on a weekly basis, which is why taking all those steps is so important.
Doctors also recommend old school methods, like putting a list of phone numbers in the person's wallet or car, and including names of medications they take, too.
