A woman from Hadleigh, whose father went missing, said without social media and the kind local community things might have been much worse.
Paula Knight's 72-year-old father Mick Wren went missing just after 3.30pm on Thursday October 28, and she says within hours there were hundreds of people helping to look for him.
Mick has had prostate cancer in the past, now Paula says he thinks it is back, amongst other health issues. She said: "Everything basically got on top of him and he went for a walk, but then doesn't remember anything, he didn't know where he went, where he was, who he was.
"All the stress has built up and all of a sudden it hit him."
Mick, of Weavers Close, went out for a walk wearing a pair of slide sandals, tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt - Paula thinks the cold got to him and left him very confused.
Paula was alerted by her mum that her father was missing and told her to ring the police and she put a post out on Facebook.
"Next thing I know there's just hundreds of people out searching for him," said Paula.
"I just felt really helpless because I was stuck at work and I didn't finish until 9."
When she finished work she went home and then immediately went to join in the search.
While she was looking she bumped into an off-duty officer who helped to calm her down and another friend kindly volunteered to look after her dog.
Paula moved to the area a few years ago to be closer to her parents, but says she doesn't really know many people - so seeing so many people coming out to help was overwhelming.
At some point after 10pm a student paramedic found him on Coram Street, while shining his torch he saw it reflect off Mick's glasses.
He went to the hospital afterwards and was very cold, wet and not very responsive, though Paula says he is doing okay now and getting help from the doctor.
Reflecting on the ordeal Paula said: "I'm still shaking thinking about it now.
"It was a very frightening experience, but we can't thank everybody enough.
"If social media wasn't there I don't know what I would've done, there would have been a different outcome."
Paula said she will be giving a donation to Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue after their help.
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