An 85-year-old woman allegedly spent more than two hours trying to get help after falling in her bathroom at Singapore’s first Community Care Apartment development in Bukit Batok.
According to her daughter, Mary Aw, who spoke to Mothership, Soh Hock Lye fell at around noon on 2 September after showering at her Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok flat and injured her hip. She was unable to stand. She pressed an emergency call button provided in the apartment and heard a voice, which she believed meant someone had responded.
But according to Aw, nobody subsequently came to the flat.
She Eventually Dragged Herself to the Front Door
Aw told Mothership that her mother remained unable to stand or crawl after the fall.
Over the next two hours, Soh reportedly pulled herself across the flat towards the main door. Aw said her mother was still wet and cold from her shower during this time.
Soh eventually managed to use her walking stick to open the front door and call out for assistance. A neighbour and other people nearby then came to help her, and an ambulance was called. The Singapore Civil Defence Force separately confirmed to Mothership that it received a call for assistance at Block 469A Bukit Batok West Avenue 9 at about 3pm that day.
One person was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Soh underwent surgery for a hip fracture on the same day and was still recovering in hospital when Mothership published its report on 10 September.
Daughter Says Voice From Button Was Automated
Aw said the family later learnt that the voice Soh heard after activating the emergency button was an automated response.
She questioned why nobody went to the unit to check on her mother, particularly given her age and inability to communicate clearly after the fall. The circumstances surrounding the emergency alert and the subsequent response have not yet been fully established.
Vanguard Healthcare, which operates Harmony Village, told Mothership that it was aware of the case and that it appeared to be an isolated incident.
The operator said it was reviewing what happened and would consider additional measures to prevent a recurrence. It has also been communicating with Soh and her family while the investigation is ongoing.
Emergency Response Is Part of Community Care Apartment Services
Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok is Singapore’s first Community Care Apartment project, an assisted-living form of public housing intended to let seniors continue living independently while having care support available.
Residents began collecting their keys from October 2024. CNA reported in 2025 that flats at Harmony Village came with two wireless emergency call buttons that residents could position around their homes. The mandatory basic service package included round-the-clock emergency response. HDB also lists senior-friendly features at Community Care Apartments, while the Government has said that 24/7 emergency response will remain part of the support provided to residents even as the service package is revised. Vanguard Healthcare’s investigation into Soh’s case is ongoing as of 10 September.
