Shanmugam: Police do not track the number of people who have died alone

SINGAPORE: The Police do not track the number of people who have died alone and are not discovered for some time, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam stated in response to a Parliamentary question on August 7.

He was addressing a query from Dennis Tan, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament for Hougang SMC.

Mr Tan asked how many people had died alone in their homes over the past five years and remained undiscovered for up to a week or more.

Mr Tan also inquired whether such data on people dying alone is being shared with agencies and social services to better understand the circumstances that lead to people dying alone and undiscovered in their homes so that more can be done to prevent lonely deaths.

In his brief reply, Minister Shanmugam noted that as part of their community policing efforts, the police proactively refer socially isolated seniors they encounter to relevant agencies and community groups for assistance.

In 2023, there were at least 37 cases of lonely deaths reported in the media.

Associate Professor Corinne Goh from the Department of Social Work at the National University of Singapore, featured in CNA Insider’s documentary “Dead Alone in Singapore,” analyzed these cases and found that 76% of the deceased were male.

The median age of those who went undiscovered for days was 66, indicating a trend toward younger individuals.

She also noted that, of the 37 cases, 29 individuals were known to someone, whether a neighbour, family member, friend, or social service agency.

Assoc Prof Goh suggested that preventing lonely deaths requires community mobilization: “It’s everyone’s responsibility to watch out for each other.”

Recent reports highlighted two cases where decomposing bodies were found in Bukit Batok and Ang Mo Kio on August 5.

In one case, a 72-year-old woman was discovered in her cluttered three-room flat at Block 146 Bukit Batok West Avenue 6, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.

A neighbour had last seen her about a week ago. After detecting a foul odour last Friday, he knocked on her door on Saturday and again on Monday but received no response. He subsequently called the police, leading to the grim discovery.

On the same morning, the body of a 69-year-old man was found in his flat at Block 323 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3.

A neighbour named Judy (transliteration) mentioned she hadn’t seen him in the past four to five days but did not anticipate he had died.