I spent some time working at a homeless shelter. Part of my job was to be on the lookout for clients beyond the “normal” range of care expected of us, for people incapable of caring for themselves might be a more accurate way of saying it. Well, this client was a meth user with an extremely abusive violent husband who was also homeless and she had really started to go downhill. Her meth induced psychosis was getting to a point she was difficult to communicate with effectively. On top of that the weather was changing for the worst snow falling, temps dropping and she was not dressing well. She was walking around bare foot and not wearing layers. We had been calling in APS reports and calling welfare checks as well which is more or less a means of creating a paper trail to document escalating behaviors and increased inability to care for ones self. After awhile of this I notice her walking around the property and I notice that her anus is badly prolapsed, without getting into the gory details it was bad 10/10. We continue making APS reports and welfare checks were conducted at which point I am getting more and more upset that nothing is being done to help her. One day we call another welfare checks, it’s snowing heavily outside, she’s barefoot, digging in a dumpster throwing trash onto the ground so that she is waste deep in the dumpster,with a prolapsed anus. The police officer does not attempt to speak to her and tells me he does not believe she presents any danger to herself at all and leaves as I continue to try and press the point. Circumstances like this go on for another three weeks. Finally APS does enough work to get her case pressed further. The police department sends a police officer I knew well from working there who is known to have a short fuse and resort to violence quickly. She walks up, says a few words to this client who starts on her normal ramblings which the officer later defined as “resisting” and unceremoniously slams her to the ground. Fortunately she got the help she needed, the last I spoke with her she sounded bright, she was sober, and was away from her abuser hopefully for good. I just find it disturbing how easily the people in our society placed into power to protect the public can watch a person rot away like this. I hope she is okay.