I'm afraid of dying alone at home, says woman seen loitering at Ang Mo Kio void deck

Afraid that she would die alone at home, an elderly woman has been lingering at the void deck at Block 345 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 over the past year.

The woman would occasionally spend the night on the benches there, sparking concerns that she might be homeless, a worried resident told Shin Min Daily News.

When Shin Min visited the block on Saturday (Dec 2), the woman surnamed Chen, clarified that she is not homeless. Chen, who's in her 60s, said that she lives with her friends in a rental flat at Ang Mo Kio Street 31.

"I used to work odd jobs at a company cafeteria but had to stop working over a year ago after a fall. I'm currently recuperating and hope to get back to work  once I recover," she said.

Despite living together with her friends, however, her flatmates are seldom home.

This, coupled with recent news reports on seniors who went undiscovered after dying alone at home, made Chen worry that she might get into the same situation.

Hence, the elderly woman would often leave her flat to roam about.

"I wander about during the day but I will go home to sleep at night," she explained. "Walking around can also improve my health, and aid recovery from my injury."

Chen added that her siblings are already married and she does not want to bother them.

"They know I'm here, but I don't want them to worry. Staff from welfare agencies also offered help, but they understood my situation after I talked to them."

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com