When an elderly man collapsed outside his Punggol home, his neighbour Riley did not hesitate to get help — even though, according to her uncle, the neighbour had not always treated her kindly.
For disability advocate Warren Sheldon Humphries, what his niece did on Sept 4 was a reminder that persons with disabilities (PWDs) are not simply people who need looking after — they look out for others too.
Warren told Stomp that Riley, who is also his caregiver, had been keeping an eye on their elderly neighbour at Block 657B Punggol East.
According to Warren, the man is believed to be in his late 70s or early 80s, is hearing impaired and lives apart from his wife, who regularly travels between China and Singapore.
“Despite the fact that he has not always been particularly nice to her, she has never allowed that to stop her from caring,” Warren said.
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“He would often scold her for no reason but we found out he has a thyroid condition that affects his mood.”
Riley would keep an eye on the man’s daily movements and contact his wife when necessary.
“We had not seen him for some time until that day,” Warren said.
On Sept 4 at about 4.13pm, Riley saw the man return home dressed in what appeared to be a hospital gown.
He sat down on a bench outside his home before collapsing suddenly.
‘Something did not feel right’
Riley immediately called for help and contacted the man’s wife in China to let her know what had happened.
The man eventually managed to get back up and return to his home, but Riley remained concerned.
“Something did not feel right to her, so she stayed and waited for the officers to arrive,” Warren said.
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