Dickie Ong, 66, whose daughter lived in one such facility until recently, recounted how he rushed there after receiving several urgent texts following an incident.
Ong claimed he found his daughter Aurelia (not her real name), 30, with a swollen eye, a bloodshot eyeball, and bruises on her face and body.
“Aurelia told me she was beaten and kicked by two male care providers. She was then kept in a room on the floor, with her hands tied up for several hours until I appeared,” he told FMT.
He said he filed two police reports over the incident but later withdrew them as he did not want his daughter to relive the trauma.
The facility denied any wrongdoing but said it has suspended its psychiatric wing following the incident because of challenges in managing patients with aggressive behaviour.
It claimed that the incident began when Aurelia attempted to wash her hands – allegedly stained with menstrual blood – in the kitchen sink while meals were being prepared.
“She was redirected to another sink, but she resisted and began scratching, punching and kicking a male caregiver, particularly in the groin,” a spokesperson for the home told FMT.
According to the spokesperson, the caregiver tried to restrain her by holding her hand, describing it as a safe technique, before placing her in a separate room while awaiting her family.
The caregiver has since resigned, citing trauma from the encounter, the spokesperson added.
Ong questioned whether such facilities were equipped to handle patients with complex psychiatric conditions.
“When you are dealing with those who have mental illnesses, you cannot put your hands on them. You’ve got to balance the counter reaction,” he said.
He also questioned whether there was proper supervision of such homes by the authorities, alleging that Aurelia appeared to have suffered significant weight loss during her four-month stay there, which he claims may be indicative of neglect.
“They also forgot her follow-up appointments and at one point, her medication was delayed by two days,” he claimed.
The facility denied Ong’s accusations, insisting that Aurelia was served regular and balanced meals and was administered medication as prescribed by specialists at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.
“All residents have access to food in the fridge and can request snacks from caregivers.
“We did not handle dosing or treatment decisions. That was managed entirely by UMMC. We were unaware of any complaints until after her discharge.
“Everything ended on good terms,” the spokesperson added. “We tried to handle it professionally, but if this escalates, we may have to consider legal action.”
Ong also raised concerns over the use of male caregivers to assist female residents but the facility said male staff only assisted in cases requiring physical lifting or when female staff were unavailable.
“If a patient is overweight and needs lifting, male staff will assist them. For grooming, female staff are typically assigned,” said the spokesperson.
Public interest concerns
The case has raised concern over whether such homes, which are not formally registered as medical institutions, should be regulated and monitored by the authorities.
Ong said his family’s experience showed an urgent need for legislation, proper guidelines and staff training, including on gender sensitivity issues, with regular audits conducted by the government to ensure compliance.