A 62-year-old man was recently found sleeping on a mattress soaked in faeces and crawling with maggots, shocking volunteers who had gone to offer help.
His house was also filled with cobwebs, cardboard, and newspaper, Shin Min Daily News (SMDN) reported.
Source: Keeping Hope Alive on Facebook
On 20 April, non-profit group Keeping Hope Alive visited Block 5 Banda Street and discovered the man’s one-room rental unit in appalling condition. The flat was overrun with clutter, cobwebs, rotting food and human waste.
Source: Google Maps
When volunteers lifted the man’s bedsheets, they saw his mattress stained with piles of faeces, with bugs and maggots crawling everywhere.
“The situation was urgent,” said the group’s founder, Ms Fion Phua.
“There was dirt and garbage everywhere. There was faeces and urine on the bed and floor. We immediately started cleaning it up.”
Source: Keeping Hope Alive on Facebook
The team immediately activated 20 volunteers to help with the situation. They helped to clear rubbish, disinfect the toilet, and unblock the sink.
Source: Keeping Hope Alive on Facebook
The floor was barely visible under heaps of discarded newspapers, plastic bags, clothes, and even bicycle tyres.
Volunteers later gave the man a haircut and replaced his soiled mattress with a new one. His refrigerator was emptied of rotting fruit, and a blocked sink was cleared of waste and grime.
Source: Keeping Hope Alive on Facebook
When SMDN reporters visited the unit last Thursday (1 May), signs of the messiness had returned.
Though improved, the flat was again cluttered, and the mattress was stained. Mr Leow subsequently explained that he had trouble controlling his bladder and bowels.
Suffering from incontinence and mobility issues, Mr Leow shares the flat with his brother, who works long hours and is unable to help.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“I don’t want to live like this either,” he said. “If I could control myself, I wouldn’t be in this state.”
Mr Leow says he relies on government financial aid and daily food deliveries from welfare organisations, but faces challenges for his hygiene issues.
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Featured image adapted from Keeping Hope Alive on Facebook and Shin Min Daily News.