Cases of the elderly living alone and passing away unnoticed is, unfortunately, not unheard of in Singapore.
While some of them have family members, they do not get visits occasionally, and lived their lives alone.
And on 17 Nov 2021, a 72-year-old man was found dead in his HDB flat alone.
72YO Man Found Dead in His HDB Flat Alone
The Straits Times reported that the police were alerted to a case of unnatural death at 9.44am on 17 Nov 2021.
His next-door neighbour, Ms Nalayini told Shin Min Daily News that when she returned home after a night shift on Wednesday morning, she smelt a strong stench in the area.
Unable to take the smell, she alerted the town council and the police were called in to investigate.
Upon arrival at a flat in Block 105 Towner Road in Whampoa, they found the motionless body of a 72-year-old man in the unit.
A paramedic declared him dead on the scene.
The man lived alone and was believed to have died for a few days.
Investigations are ongoing for this case but the police do not suspect foul play.
Alone
His neighbour, one Ms Lena Nguyen who occupies the unit across him for two years, said she’s never seen any relatives visiting him.
He typically left his home in the morning and only returned in the evening.
The man was spotted seated alone downstairs, she added.
His next-door neighbour, Ms Nalayini, also said that the man seemed to be a loner and hardly have any visitors.
An Alleged Hoarder
The town council were called in last month to clear up items blocking his front door.
Then, she had raised up issues about the fire safety hazards the man was bringing into the area.
“He would bring two, three bags of things home. He would put them by the corridor too, and I was worried as it was a fire hazard. I told him, if it catches fire, how do we run?
“He said he would clear it, but only brought a few items into his home in the end.”
Looking For Man’s Son
On 18 Nov 2021, relatives of the man could be seen clearing up items in the man’s home.
This includes items like discarded boxes, furniture and plastic bags stuffed with newspapers.
When spoken to, the relatives decline to comment.
However, one of them did say that they are still trying to locate the man’s son.
As mentioned, the elderly living alone and dying without anyone knowing is, unfortunately, not unheard of in Singapore.
If you have an elderly in your family, do put in the effort to visit them, or video-call them, often.
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Feature Image: Shin Min Daily