'This breaks my heart': Woman claims maids neglected elderly employer to chat at void deck

One woman in Singapore has taken to social media to share a sight that "broke her heart".

While several netizens said they shared the same disappointment, others felt that the passer-by's photo might not reflect the full picture.

A Facebook photo shared on Monday (April 10) showed an elderly woman slumped over her wheelchair at the void deck of an undisclosed location.

Three women — whom the caption stated were foreign domestic workers — were seen chatting and using their mobile phones next to the elderly woman.

"I think this will be the exact reason why I won't trust helpers with an elderly person," the Facebook user said.

"What the heck? If you want to bring the elderly out, [no big deal]. But take care of her properly. Don't just leave her be."

The now-deleted Facebook post has since been re-shared on several social media accounts.

In the comments, several netizens found it unacceptable that the elderly woman was ignored when she appeared to be in discomfort.

But other social media users criticised the passer-by for sharing the photo on social media.

"If this picture truly represents abuse by a caregiver, then why didn't the photographer perform the civic duty of addressing the matter on the spot?" a netizen said.

Other helpers spotted ignoring the elderly

In another similar incident last November, a man expressed his concerns over maids who appeared to be occupied with their own activities in instead of watching over the elderly.

Speaking to Stomp then, a resident said that the same thing would happen at Block 10 Marsiling Drive every morning. 

"The maids fool around, shout and laugh loudly, and do not look after the ah mahs," he said. "They just park the wheelchaired elderly and enjoy their meetup session. They ignore the ah mahs, who have no choice but to just sit and look.

"I pity the ah mahs. Their children pay so much money to hire these maids to look after their mums. But instead of taking care of the elderly, the maids neglect their duties and enjoy their noisy morning sessions." 

ALSO READ: Maids neglect elderly and young charges as they dance at Bukit Batok playground

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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