Old woman in wheelchair left by roadside in Shah Alam

 

Zakat Selangor officials helping to take into care an elderly woman who was found alone by the roadside in Shah Alam yesterday night. (LZS Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: An elderly woman in a wheelchair has been taken into care after she was found alone by the roadside at Jalan Kebun in Shah Alam.

The Selangor zakat board said family members were not willing to take her in, and she had been placed in a care centre, with monthly expenses paid by the board.

The woman is the second person this month who was reported to have been abandoned by their family. On Feb 6, a man in his 60s was taken into care after he was found alone with a suitcase at a surau in Klang.

In a Facebook posting today, the board said officials took action after receiving reports about the elderly woman at 8.30pm yesterday. She appeared to have been left alone, with disposable diapers and a bag of clothes.

The woman, who is paralysed on one side of her leg, was later found to be on a list of hardcore poor who were eligible for aid.

“Efforts to contact her family were successful but we did not receive good cooperation when none of her family members were willing to pick her up from the shelter, all giving a lot of excuses,” the board said.

“Police had contacted her child, who at first agreed to pick her up, but they later changed their mind, saying that they could no longer afford to care for her any more.

“Police had to contact a care centre who took her by ambulance for a health check-up and a Covid-19 screening.”

Zakat Selangor said the woman told board officials that she had not seen her child for a long time, and described her child as a good person.

“Who wouldn’t be touched when this mother was still praying the best for her child. We tried to hide our sadness from her. Maybe there are family issues only they know about,” Zakat Selangor said. - FMT