Elderly Woman Sells Marine Crescent HDB Flat To Move In With Daughter In Australia
Filial piety to one’s parents is something that is often expected of children, especially in Asian families. However, that was apparently not the case for the daughter of this elderly woman, Madam Zhang.
In 2018, the latter sold her HDB flat to stay with her daughter in Australia. Sadly, their relationship turned sour following the death of Madam Zhang’s husband.
After a year of neglect, Madam Zhang has since returned to Singapore and now lives alone in a hotel.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Unable to move much due to various mobility issues, she relies on her friends to deliver meals while she looks for a new home.
Daughter asks elderly parents to emigrate to care for them
Shin Min Daily News reports that in 2018, Madam Zhang and her husband emigrated to Australia, where their only daughter has resided for the past 15 years.
According to Madam Zhang, her daughter was the one who asked the couple to make the move as she wanted to take care of them.
Madam Zhang’s husband had previously been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and they decided that they would relocate there after his condition stabilised.
To fund the move, the couple reportedly sold their four-room flat in Marine Crescent and left with whatever savings they had.
When they arrived in Australia, Madam Zhang’s husband spent almost S$20,000 to build a ‘granny flat’ on their daughter’s land. Granny flats are self-contained living spaces that are often separated from the main house on the property.
Relationship soured after father’s passing
About two years after the move, Madam Zhang’s husband passed away from an illness in Mar 2021. It was at this point that the relationship between mother and daughter soured.
According to Madam Zhang, her daughter did not take good care of her and even hid some of her deceased husband’s investment returns from her.
Once, her son-in-law even dragged her away with two hands when she attempted to enter their house. Injured, she pleaded with their neighbours for help, and they called the local police.
Thankfully, some kind-hearted folks reportedly helped hire a lawyer to get back a portion of Madam Zhang’s money, which her daughter initially hid from her.
She has about S$700,000 from the sale of an apartment and her husband’s business, and has managed to retrieve around S$400,000 to S$500,000 of that amount.
On 31 Mar, Madam Zhang returned to Singapore after her nephew flew to Australia to bring her back.
Madam Zhang now aims to move into a new home & employ helper
Returning to Singapore after all this time, she is now without a home and has been living in a local hotel.
She struggles to get around due to mobility issues and relies on friends to order her meals online on a daily basis.
Madam Zhang told Shin Min Daily News that she has not been in contact with her daughter since moving out in February. In fact, she does not even have her daughter’s phone number.
Right now, her main goals are to look for a new place to call home and employ a helper to look after her.
Hope authorities can help elderly woman
In the span of a couple of years, Madam Zhang’s life has turned upside down completely.
We hope she manages to find a good home soon and that she will receive all the care she needs.
And while it may seem like a long shot, we also hope that someday, somehow, Madam Zhang and her daughter will be reconciled and put this unfortunate chapter behind them.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News & Google Maps.
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