Man chances upon elderly neighbour on floor in Jalan Besar home after fall unable to get up or call for help, steps in immediately

A man spotted by chance his elderly neighbour lying on the floor at home following a fall and unable to get up on his own.

The fortuitous encounter led to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers gaining entry to the elderly man's flat.

The incident took place on Jun. 16 at a block at King George's Avenue, and was captured on a home surveillance camera.

Spotted through the gate

Muhammad Hisyamuddin and his wife had just returned home when they noticed their elderly neighbour lying on the floor of his flat.

They managed to catch a glimpse of what happened through the locked gate.

"We could see him through the locked gate and initially thought he had fainted," he told Mothership.

The elderly man responded when Hisyamuddin called out to him.

As he laid on the floor, he said he had fallen and could not get up.

His phone was out of reach and he could not provide his family's contact numbers.

SCDF arrived in 11 minutes

Hisyamuddin called 177 first and was advised to dial 999. He made the call at around 2:49pm.

According to him, SCDF officers arrived about 11 minutes later.

The team was able to gain access to the unit and assist the fallen mam.

According to Hisyamuddin, the incident happened to be captured on his home CCTV, which was installed to monitor his own gate.

However, the camera's active tracking feature followed movement and recorded the scene.

The elderly man's son-in-law later returned home and confirmed that he was already aware of the situation.

In response to queries, SCDF said they received a call for assistance at King George's Avenue at about 2:50pm on Jun. 16.

The elderly man was subsequently conveyed to Raffles Hospital.

"Help can arrive in time"

Hisyamuddin said the incident underscored the vulnerabilities of elderly residents living alone:

"What stood out to me was how vulnerable elderly residents living alone can be when they experience a fall and are unable to access their phone or contact family members. It also reminded me of the importance of looking out for our neighbours and having emergency plans in place for elderly loved ones."

He added:

"It reminded me that help can arrive in time, but only if we play our part as neighbours by looking out for one another and taking action when something seems wrong."

Hisyamuddin has shared a personal account of the incident on his @syaamhisyam TikTok account.

@syaamhisyam I came home today and found my elderly neighbour lying on the floor inside his house… At first, I thought he had fainted. But what happened next made me realise how important it is to look out for the elderly living alone. Part 1/2 #Singapore #SGCommunity #LookOutForEachOther #ElderlyCare #Neighbour ♬ original sound - Syaamhisyam