Elderly man lived for 10 years without water or electricity in hoarded flat with geckos and centipedes

SINGAPORE: An elderly man who is more than 80 years old has been living in his ‘garbage’ house without water and electricity for over 10 years. A volunteer organisation, Keeping Hope Alive, shared the situation of the elderly man online, who had been living in a one-room rental HDB flat at North Bridge Road. 

According to the post, the man’s calendar on the wall of his home was stuck in 2015. Without electricity, water, and gas, the elderly man only went to public toilets to wash his face, walked in the rain in order to wash himself, walked barefoot during the day, and slept in the corridor or on the floor inside the house every night. 

Furthermore, the founder of the organisation, who has also been a volunteer for many years, remarked that the elderly man’s neighbours would often cover their noses when they passed his so-called ‘garbage’ house, which was caused by his hoarding habit. 

The house was almost impossible to open, and it did not look and feel like home for a human being–instead, a place for cockroaches, geckos, and insects to grow. 

Hesitant for help

In the videos posted online, it was seen that the room was filled with clutter, and that there was a limited space for people to walk. The founder stated that some of the volunteers found the old man sitting outside his apartment building, and it took a lot of time for him to accept help. 

“At first, the old man refused our help; he wouldn’t even accept food and drinks from the volunteers.” 

According to Shin Min Daily News, the elderly man is now receiving assistance from the authorities, and volunteers help in delivering his meals. When a reporter visited the unit, the man was unwilling to communicate much, only stating that he had lived there since 1979 and only pays $35 for rent each month. 

When asked about his ‘garbage’ house, he was aware that the clutter had accumulated over time. He did want to find someone to clean it up, but he did not know who to contact and just gave up. 

Challenging case

When the volunteers cleaned the unit, they were shocked that several geckos landed on their heads and eight centipedes scurried around.  Moreover, some volunteers also shared that there were several cockroaches that came out when they were cleaning the space.  

They admitted that the man’s case was the most challenging that they had ever encountered. 

More news about hoarding

In similar news, some residents of an HDB block in Bedok North raised concerns about an elderly man living alone, and his flat is overflowing with clutter. Due to this, the common corridor outside his unit is blocked with items, and the man has even taken over parts of the ground floor. 

Read more of the story here.