Elderly man loses his way, over 50 volunteers in Yishun work together to bring him home

An 81-year-old Yishun resident who went missing last Tuesday (Oct 10) evening was found within a day, thanks to 50 volunteers. 

The elderly man, surnamed Lee, had gotten lost after collecting his ComCare welfare pack at Block 609 Yishun Street 61, reported 8World.

Volunteers at the ComCare collection point reported seeing Lee leaving the block at around 7pm, but he did not return home. To make matters worse, Lee did not carry his mobile phone with him so his family was unable to contact him.

A quick check by AsiaOne on Google Maps showed that the journey to the collection point and back home would have taken an hour by foot.

Nee Soon GRC MP Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in a Facebook post on Oct 11 that the elderly man's son-in-law Eddie Teo had sought his help in locating Lee.

In Teo's post, he described how his father-in-law had been missing for more than 12 hours.

According to Teo, Assoc Prof Faishal had swiftly mobilised a team of more than 50 volunteers, from grassroots to residents, to help search for Lee in the neighbourhood. 

A few volunteers had also visited Lee's family to console his wife who was "visibly worried", the MP added.

Speaking to 8world, a spokesperson for Nee Soon Town Council shared that the food packs were usually collected by Lee's wife. But as she was recovering from a fractured arm, Lee, who seldom ventured out of the house, had gone to collect them on her behalf. 

The spokesperson added that a passer-by spotted Lee at Tagore Lane the next morning, about 10km away from his residence. Aware that Lee was lost, the kind individual offered to take Lee home.

The pair met one of the search party volunteers along the way, who then brought Lee back home at around noon.

Grateful that his father-in-law was found and brought home safely, Teo wrote on Facebook: "I would like to give a very big thank you to Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and his team."

In a Facebook post on Monday (Oct 16), Assoc Prof Faishal shared that he and several volunteers had visited Lee and his wife at their home over the weekend, and noted that the couple were "in good spirits". 

"They have also recovered from the shock last week when Mr Lee lost his way and did not return home after collecting the ComCare carepack," he wrote.

In his post, Assoc Prof Faishal shared that during the search for Lee, some volunteers had taken time off work to offer their assistance, while some even went to check at hospitals.

Thanking his team, he wrote: "In Nee Soon, we are one big family. Apart from coming together to spend time and have fun, more importantly, we have each other's back and take care of each other!"

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ashwini.balan@asiaone.com