In Penang, an 86-year-old woman was trapped in her house by her own piles of rubbish and had to be rescued by Civil Defence Force personnel.
An 86-year-old woman in George Town, Penang, had to be rescued from her home by the Penang Civil Defence Force after being trapped by the huge mountain of rubbish that had collected there over the years.
The woman, plagued by health issues, had been living alone, and her house had become impassable due to the years of accumulating rubbish.
An entire “Mountain of Rubbish” was found
At around 4:40 PM on Monday, the Penang Civil Defence Force (PCDF) responded to a call for help by the family of the elderly woman.
When PCDF officers arrived, they were stunned to find that both the inside and outside of the double-storey house were filled with trash and recyclable materials, in what looked like a huge mountain of rubbish.
From broken furniture to faded newspapers, the clutter had amassed over the years, encircling three cars in the driveway, covered in layers of dust and debris.
The elderly woman had said she hired help to clean her house, but claims they never showed up.
As the officers made their way inside, they had to navigate around stacks of junk piled along the walls. There were also bundles of garbage on the stairs.
The woman, who was bedridden, could not walk and needed external help to be moved. After assessing the scene, officers used a stretcher to carefully carry her out of the house.
“Four APM personnel were roped in for the task and managed to carry the woman out using a stretcher,” said Penang Civil Defence Corps northeast district officer Muhammad Aizat Abdul Ghani.
The decision to move her was not an easy one, as her family knew how attached she was to the house she had lived in for so many years.
But the condition of the home, paired with her growing list of health concerns, had made it a necessary choice.
Once outside, the elderly woman was assessed by medical personnel and was found to have been struggling with ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, and hearing loss.
In addition to her physical ailments, her family disclosed that she struggled with falls and had grown more dependent on them for help in recent months.
“Her family claimed that she was prone to falls and would call them in the middle of the night for help,” Muhammad Aizat said.
For the woman, a new chapter is now underway. Now living in a family member’s home, she awaits discussions between her family and the authorities regarding her long-term care.
“The woman wants to live in a nearby aged nursing home. However, due to her poor health and difficulty navigating around the heaps of rubbish, her family sought help,” said Muhammad Aizat.
In the meantime, the house on Jalan Mano stands as a reminder of the woman’s journey. Stacks of rubbish still fill the compound, and the fate of the home remains uncertain.
The Unseen Dangers of Hoarding
Following the incident, local authorities and community members have called for greater awareness and compassion towards elderly individuals living alone.
As society ages, the challenges that seniors face—be it hoarding, isolation, or health issues—become increasingly visible.
Hoarding is a psychological condition that often leads to isolation, creating dangerous living conditions.
Many hoarders suffer from underlying conditions such as anxiety or depression, which make it difficult to let go of belongings that hold sentimental value.
For this elderly woman, the years of accumulated items represented both a physical and emotional burden.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of mental health support and community engagement, particularly for elderly individuals.
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