Things are looking up for a local man thanks to a concerned citizen and a very effective social media campaign.

  Lauren Mulvihill was shocked and dismayed by what happened after she pulled up to Piedmont Henry Hospital one morning in early June to pick up an Uber passenger. An elderly man, Ronald Dembner, who had been treated there was helped into the car by hospital staff for a ride to his house. Mulvihill immediately noticed the smell of urine on the man, who ultimately dampened her car seat.

  After a short drive to his home, she helped him inside at his request and was even more taken aback. The house, where Dembner has lived alone for about a decade, was in terrible shape. He didn’t want her to leave and she helped him with a couple of minor tasks before making a quick grocery run for him. She learned quickly that he had no family and that there was no one else to look in on him.

  Mulvhill was touched by the man’s situation and she came back the next day on her own time to do some cleaning at the house. But she quickly realized that it was too much for any one person. She spent an entire day calling every agency, nonprofit organization and church she could think of but no one knew how to help him.

  So she posted June 7 on her personal Facebook page and asked for help. She pointed out that Dembner lived alone with his dog, and that the nurses who had been hired to care for him quit because of the condition of his house. The dog had destroyed much of what was inside and Dembner could neither care for the animal or himself properly. Having outlived his wife and two sons, he feared that he would be removed from his home, where he had lived for about 40 years.

  “I have called the police and had adult services involved; they’re saying there’s nothing they can do because he has not been deemed incompetent and it is not illegal to lay in your own urine,” she wrote.

  Within six days, several Atlanta television news outlets contacted Mulvihill and featured the story. She also heard from media outlets around the world that were alerted to the situation thanks to the power of social media.

  The first Saturday after the campaign started, about 10 random people answered the call for help and showed up at the house. In the weeks that followed, the entire residence was overhauled – all-new flooring, a new bathroom installed, new furniture and mattresses, the works. All of the materials and labor were donated by local businesses and individuals.

  A separate Facebook group titled “Helping Mr. Ronald” was created and now has more than 2,500 members. The community effort to help this man, who was a total stranger to virtually everyone involved at the start, is ongoing.

  Dembner, who is reportedly a veteran and who Mulvihill said is a retired Delta employee, enjoys the interaction with the people who have helped him as much as the help itself. She still makes regular visits to see him and often brings along her two young daughters, who enjoy seeing their new friend.

  Anyone in the community who wants to learn more about the “Helping Mr. Ronald” campaign can do so via the Facebook page.