Last Saturday (22 Oct), the bodies of a 92-year-old woman and her 70-year-old son were discovered in a residential unit in Tampines.
Mr Desmond Choo, a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tampines GRC, addressed the incident on Monday (24 Oct). Expressing his sorrow for their passing, he described them as a reclusive pair.
He added that a grassroots team is now working with police to find the duo’s next of kin.
According to The Straits Times (ST), the elderly mother and son who were found dead in their Tampines flat were said to be “reclusive”.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Mr Choo said that while they were familiar with grassroots and community volunteers, the two often refrained from participating in activities.
The grassroots and community volunteers also attempted to contact the pair at least five times over the past seven years. However, their efforts were in vain.
Other residents observed the woman to be frail. On the other hand, her son had appeared to be in good health.
Both of them also seemed self-sufficient and were not under any support schemes for lower-income Singaporeans.
The Straits Times (ST) reports that according to Mr Choo, a grassroots team has been working with the police to identify their next of kin.
“It’s unfortunate and very sad, and we understand from the police that there was no foul play suspected, and they are likely to have died from natural causes,” he added.
In light of the incident, Mr Choo urged the community to prevent such a situation from happening again.
“Outreach to the elderly is something we’ve been keenly working on,” he stated.
It’s important to strengthen the community network and actively encourage participation.
He also encouraged residents who knew of seniors living alone to alert their local committees. “We’ll be very happy to bring together resources to support them, be it in mental health or social assistance,” he said.
As for elderly Singaporeans, Mr Choo similarly called for them to step forward and seek assistance. “There are people who care for you and want to support you,” he assured them.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
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