It saddens me to read about the death of another senior living alone (Man, 63, found dead in Toa Payoh flat after stench detected, Dec 29).

When a person does not leave his home for some time, it could be due to sickness or a fall. In such cases, proactive action to reach out could save a life.

Grassroots organisations should collect information on seniors living alone within an estate, and proactively contact them at least once a week.

Neighbours can play an important role by notifying the authorities when they don't see that person for a long time, or notice that mail or newspapers are not being collected.

Service providers should be alert to mail or delivery items not being collected after a few days.

The authorities could look into developing a device linked to the front door that could light up to alert people when an elderly person has not opened the door for a prolonged period.

Technology could also be developed to send an alert when a senior has not read his text messages or answered calls on his phone in a long time.

Leong Kok Seng