A 79-year-old man with dementia was finally found at Whampoa heights over the weekend, after he was missing for about 5 days.

He vanished last Saturday, on 7 Oct, after telling his helper to turn around so he could pee. When the helper wasn’t looking, the man – Mr Han – left his home and was only found on 12 Oct, thanks to the help of a female netizen.

51-year-old Ms Yu, Mr Han’s daughter, told the Chinese daily that her father was found at the void deck of 117 Whampoa Heights on 12 Oct around 1am:

“A netizen posted on Facebook about a semi-naked elderly man playing with soft drink cans near a fruit stall and was reprimanded by a staffer. We saw the post and went over to Whampoa to search for my father.”

Ms Yu and her companions found her father, sleeping and shivering on the cold ground at Whampoa Heights, sporting a wound on his forehead:

“It had been raining these past few days, and he was shivering on the floor. My heart broke when I saw this. There was also a wound on his forehead.
“He had a look of surprise on his face when he saw us. We attempted to help him up, but he looked like he was in pain. He was too weak to even sit up.”

Putting a jacket over her father, Ms Yu called an ambulance. Mr Han was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he was hospitalised after being diagnosed with a lung infection.

Worried that her father’s dementia has been worsening, despite medication, Ms Yu added:

“We don’t know what we can do. We’re currently considering sending him to a nursing home, but are worried that he will run away.”