On the day before yesterday (August 6), Housing Department staff visited a unit at Shing Yat House in Kwai Shing East Estate, Kwai Chung, attempting to contact a 77-year-old female resident living alone to enforce the "Well-off Tenants Policies." Upon forcing entry, they discovered the resident's decomposed skeletal remains lying on the bed in the living room and immediately reported the incident to the police.
Based on a shopping receipt dated November 2023 found inside the unit, police estimated that the resident had been deceased for over a year and a half. It was reported that the resident suffered from depression, while her husband and son had emigrated abroad. The Housing Department had made multiple visits since last year, but was met with no response. Since no unusual odors were detected from the unit, the situation went unnoticed.
This marks the second case within a year in the district where the skeletal remains of an elderly person living alone were discovered long after death. The SAR government has taken note of the situation and plans to establish an inter-departmental database for elderly residents to facilitate information sharing among departments regarding high-risk cases.
Deceased suffered from depression for over 20 years
The deceased, surnamed Yuen, had battled depression for more than two decades. When discovered, her remains had already decomposed into skeletal remains on the bed. Sources revealed that she was a subject of the Housing Department's "Well-off Tenants Policies" investigation. In October 2024, the Housing Department issued her a notice requesting clarification on her financial assets but received no response. In June this year, the department issued an eviction notice, which was also ignored.
On the morning of the incident, a Housing Department assistant manager surnamed Lam, accompanied by police officers, arrived at the unit to carry out a repossession order. After receiving no response upon knocking, they forced entry and were shocked to find the woman's severely decomposed, nearly skeletal remains lying on the bed in the living room.
Police found no signs of struggle inside the unit, with all doors and windows securely locked, preliminarily ruling out foul play. Officers also discovered shopping receipts, the most recent dated late November 2023, suggesting the elderly woman had been dead for over a year and a half. She may have already passed away when the Housing Department issued its notice in October 2024, but her death went unnoticed. Police contacted her two sons for further inquiries, and the remains were transported to the mortuary for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Neighbor: No unusual odor noticed
A neighbor, Cheung, said Yuen had lived alone since she moved in over 20 years ago. Yuen once confided in her about strained relationships with her husband and two sons, who had emigrated abroad more than three years ago. However, Cheung described Yuen as "having many friends" and often going out with them. Over the past year or so, Cheung had not seen Yuen coming or going, but never noticed any unusual odors or signs from the unit.
A resident remarked that when elderly people living alone fall ill or suddenly collapse, they often have no means to call for help: "There's no time to scream or dial for assistance." Tsang, a long-time resident of Kwai Shing East Estate, pointed out that the estate houses many elderly people who relocated from the old Kwai Chung Estate and live alone, though volunteers occasionally visit them.
She recalled once falling at home and being unable to get up, but luckily managed to crawl to a nearby table to grab her phone and call her daughter for help. She speculated that the deceased might have collapsed at home, lost consciousness, and died due to lack of timely aid.
Housing Department expresses sorrow
The Housing Department expressed deep sorrow over the incident. Records showed that only the female tenant was registered in the unit, with no history of unpaid rent. Since the tenant failed to submit the occupancy declaration form issued in October 2024, staff had attempted to contact her through multiple channels, including phone calls, home visits at different times, written notices, and contacting the Social Welfare Department.
The department also reached out to the tenant's relatives for assistance but was unable to detect the tragedy earlier. Staff reported no unusual odors during their visits, and no complaints about the unit had been received.
A Social Welfare Department spokesperson stated that they would attempt to contact the deceased's family and provide appropriate support based on their welfare needs.
Records show that on May 7 this year, police were alerted by Housing Department staff to a deceased man found in a unit at Shek On House. Officers discovered skeletal remains on the toilet seat in the bathroom. Investigations revealed the deceased was an 83-year-old man who had lived alone in the unit for 25 years and suffered from diabetes and high cholesterol, requiring regular medical follow-ups.
Call for inter-departmental elderly database
Social worker Ng Wai-tung of the Society for Community Organisation noted that as of 2023, there were about 550,000 elderly-only households (including single elderly and elderly couples) in Hong Kong. However, specific data is scattered across departments such as the Housing Department, Social Welfare Department, and Hospital Authority, with no inter-departmental data sharing.
He emphasized the urgent need for a cross-departmental elderly database: "The Housing Department holds data on elderly public housing tenants, the Social Welfare Department understands the situation of elderly private housing residents, and the Hospital Authority has records of elderly patients with chronic illnesses... If these datasets could be integrated through IT technology to establish a unified elderly information network, high-risk groups—such as those with multiple illnesses or mobility issues—could be accurately identified."
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Xiao, Tang Wen; English Editor: Darius)
Related News:
Elderly female found dead in Kwai Chung: Skeletal remains indicate over a year of death
Comment