A 74-year-old man stabbed his 67-year-old wife in the neck and then took his own life jumping from the roof of a multistory residential building in the Gyzi district of Athens on Sunday afternoon.
The victim has so far survived the stabbing, is in critical condition and is being hospitalized in a hospital in the Greek capital.
In a handwritten note the perpetrator left in the basement apartment of the family, he wrote he could no longer “stand this situation.”
According to neighbors, the wife appears to have been suffering from dementia. Moreover, they told media that the two had a fierce before the stabbing.
Following the attack, the perpetrator climbed onto the roof of the building and jumped into the void, ending up on the adjacent terrace.
Police and an ambulance immediately arrived at the scene, transported the victim in critical condition to a hospital and confirmed the man’s death.
Police officers searching the couple’s apartment found a handwritten note the perpetrator had written for a relative. ““I can’t stand this situation anymore”, the man had written, probably in an effort to explain the reasons for trying to kill his wife.
PS Without wanting to defend the elderly man, I want to recall that anyone who has lived or has taken care with a dementia sick person knows very well the absurdity of the situation, a real drama that affects everyone whether family member or caretaker.
At the same time, there is no provision and support for these families by the Greek state, as it is in every sector of chronic and degenerative illnesses.
A sad day. Athens must stop to mourn this individual.
Anyone who’s lived with a loved one in the throes of dementia can sympathize with this man. No support, no community, of course death is preferable.