An 80-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease has been left on her own for years at a market in Samut Prakan province, a Facebook user has revealed, struggling to stay alive on scraps of food and small donations which are frequently stolen from her at night.
The elderly lady who calls herself Lek was made seen by the Facebook user, Lord Clips, living behind the Samrong market in Muang Samut Prakan district. On Thursday she was found sitting on a pile of scraps and bottles she had collected to raise some money. She appeared unclean and had some coins tied to her shirt with a rubber band.
The woman said she was 80 years old and her son was a printing house owner in tambon Bang Prong in Samut Prakan.
She repeatedly said she was waiting for her son to pick her up after he finished his house, and that she had been living at the market for seven years.
When strangers approached the elderly women, she became scared and said she had no money for them and they should get it from others. The reaction is likely the result of repeated attacks by robbers.
Panipak Bupa, a 56-year-old operator of toilets at the Samrong market, said she had seen the elderly lady living at the Samrong market for about five years. She used to stay in front of the market but was later chased to the back area.
Local vendors gave her some meals and limited money for her survival but on some days robbers attacked her for the money. Locals could not help her because robbers came late at night, Mrs Panipak said.
Neither relatives nor government officials had bothered to help the elderly woman who should be living in much better conditions at this stage of her life, Mrs Panipak said.