Family of elderly siblings with medical issues live alone in “abject poverty,” without power or water supply, near Geylang Serai

Representatives from the Singapore People’s Party recently helped a trio of elderly siblings living in “abject poverty” appeal for public assistance after they discovered that the family cannot work and had been living without power or water supply for some time.

Sharing their encounter with the family on social media, party member Jeannette Chong Aruldoss recalled that all three seniors had medical issues and have no means to provide for themselves, being unable to work.

Aruldoss shared on Facebook: “The oldest, aged 73 was in a wheelchair. The other brother walked with a shuffle and did not look well. The sister had a mastectomy, survived cancer and is still on medication.”

According to the opposition politician, the family is under such financial difficulty, that they have been living without power or water supply for quite some time. Describing their plight in detail, Aruldoss noted that the family is struggling to grapple with the day-to-day issues they face and can hardly think about alleviating their hardship:

“Their financial predicament is so dire they have been living in their flat without power or water supply for a considerable length of time. The overpowering stench from the flat bore testimony to their plight.

“This family have been so overwhelmed by their day-to-day struggles they have not been able to think about what they could do to alleviate their hardship.”

Aruldoss and her companions helped to bring one of the seniors to their nearest Social Service Office (SSO) at Geylang Serai to find out whether they are eligible for public assistance.

Aruldoss revealed that she stayed with the elderly woman throughout the process and added that she hopes the family’s application for assistance will be successful:

“We immediately offered to fetch the sister to the nearest Social Service Office (SSO) to explore her and her brothers’ eligibility for public assistance.

“The sister gladly accepted our offer as she did not know where to go or what to do for help; nor had she even the cash to pay for the transport to get to SSO.

“As promised, we appeared at their doorstep the very next day and took the sister to the SSO at Geylang Serai. We sat with her while she made her way through the application process. When the process was over, we brought her back to her home.

“The Case Officer said it would take 4 to 6 weeks before the outcome of her application is known. We hope that her application will be successful. She and her family really need all the help they can get.”