Marlborough Police say an 87 year old Blenheim woman was lucky to be rescued alive after straying from a rest home in the town yesterday afternoon and falling into a creek.
The woman, who has suffered a stroke and also has dementia was last seen by staff at the rest home about 3.45pm. Shortly after 6pm staff realised she had gone missing and began searching for her.
Police were called at 7.30pm and staff from Blenheim, Picton, Havelock, Road Policing and dogs all responded.
About 8.30pm officers discovered the woman’s walking frame and shortly after found her lying in a stream on the rest home grounds with only her head above the water. She was taken to hospital with hypothermia and in a serious condition.
Marlborough Area Commander Inspector Simon Feltham said it was not known how long the woman had been in the water, but given her situation she would have been unlikely to have survived if officers hadn’t responded and found her so quickly.
“This was a difficult situation with a large area needing to be covered in a short period of time. I’m very proud of the response from Police staff who came from across Marlborough to this search and am rapt that they were able to successfully locate the elderly woman in such a short period of time”
He said the hospital reported today that the woman was now in a satisfactory condition.
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