Daughter of missing elderly man with dementia appeals for help to find him
UPDATE (8 March): Suharti told MS News on Friday (8 March) morning that the police had found her father at a multi-storey carpark along Jalan Tenteram in Whampoa.
He was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for further evaluation.
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A woman in Singapore is appealing for help to find her elderly father who has been missing since Monday (4 March).
He was last seen leaving the family home clad in a black t-shirt and black pants.
Since her father has been displaying signs of forgetfulness and dementia, the woman is appealing for anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward.
Daughter searching for missing elderly man with dementia
43-year-old Suharti, a patient service associate, posted her appeal for help to find her father on Facebook on Wednesday (6 March).
Source: Sue Ril on Facebook
“My dad Abood Bin Junit has been missing for three days,” she wrote. “He didn’t bring his personal belongings/ID with him.”
Suharti said that her father’s usual hangout is at a coffeeshop in Simei, though she’s unsure of its exact location. She noted that the 77-year-old has mild dementia.
“Please help to spread the word,” she said, stating that any help is much appreciated.
Elderly man shows symptoms of dementia
Speaking to MS News, Suharti shared that her parents stay with her.
Sometime after 8am on 4 March, her mother caught sight of her father leaving the house.
“For the past week he has been going out for his breakfast and he will come home a few hours later,” she said. “From what we know he usually will go to a Simei coffeeshop.”
Suharti said that her father, who stands between 160cm and 170cm tall, has not been officially diagnosed with dementia as he refuses to see the doctor.
Image courtesy of Suharti
His family members, however, have noticed him becoming forgetful over the past two to three years.
At home, he would often forget to switch off the fan and lights. He has also misplaced his wallet and identification card a few times.
“He will go around the whole house searching,” Suharti said. “When we asked, he couldn’t tell us what he was looking for.”
“Every day we have to tell him to shower. He would insist that he had already done so even when he hadn’t.”
Suharti added that her father would always say he was hungry, even though he had eaten an hour before.
Similar incident happened in 2023
A similar incident occurred last year when Suharti’s father went out and didn’t return home. At the time, his family assumed he was out with friends.
At around 2am, she received a call from a police officer saying that someone had reported that her father was sleeping at the void deck of an HDB block in Tampines.
When the officer asked for his address or contact number, he appeared lost. Fortunately, he had his concession card with him which the officer used to contact Suharti.
Since then, Suharti’s father had not been going out on his own until the most recent incident.
Those with information on Mr Abood’s whereabouts may contact Suharti via Facebook.
Also read: Nee Soon HDB Block Signs Are Colour-Coded To Help Elderly With Dementia Get Around
Nee Soon HDB Block Signs Are Colour-Coded To Help Elderly With Dementia Get Around
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Featured images courtesy of Suharti.
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