Couple sleep on bare floor to keep cool
Teen son cycles to aunt's home every night to sleep
Huddled away in his two-room rental flat in Toa Payoh, Mr Tan Leng Hong has no respite from the sweltering heat.
But he won't leave his flat for the air-conditioned mall in the town centre nor the community centre.
Mr Tan has to care for his wife, Mrs Tan Tjin Tjin, 59, who had a stroke three years ago and can't move the right side of her body.
She requires the help of her husband and their son, Tan Wei Ping, 16, to assist her in simple tasks like sitting on a chair or using the bathroom.
Severe osteoarthritis in Mr Tan's left leg leaves him in a great deal of pain, he says, waving away suggestions to seek relief from the heat at the community centre.
The 72-year-old says: "I try not to leave home as I hardly have the strength to move my wife on my own. On rare occasions, I head downstairs to enjoy some natural wind or cycle about."
To cool off, the Tans sleep on the bare floor of their living room. According to Mr Tan, "it is cooling to sleep on the floor on a hot day".
There is no air-conditioner in the flat, so they rely on three fans - one barely working - to keep them cool.
BILLS
Mr Tan says: "Even if the Government provides an air-conditioner, I wouldn't switch it on. I cannot afford the electrical bill."
When he had to take time off for a kidney stone removal surgery back in 2014, Mr Tan lost his job as a janitor that paid him $700 a month.
"My supervisor was unhappy that I was unable to work. Now that the doctor has certified me unfit to work because of my leg, I can't make ends meet."
According to a Ministry of Social and Family Development spokesman, Mr Tan has been receiving ComCare assistance since Nov 2013. He also receives $80 each month from the Church of the Risen Christ.
Mrs Tan and Wei Ping are Indonesian citizens - they do not get a lot of subsidies. Mr Tan says he does not send Wei Ping to school because he cannot afford the school fees.
Mr Tan's siblings have been helping with his rent and utilities, which come up to $70 and $50 a month respectively. The three fans in his flat were also contributed by his siblings.
To save cost, the Tans switch on only the wall fan in the living room, claiming that it is adequate in the scorching weather.
In the bedroom, there is one standing fan and one desk fan on the floor. Mr Tan switches on the desk fan at night for when he and his wife sleep.
He says: "My wife has trouble getting to the bathroom, and she is afraid of soiling the mattress, so we just sleep on the floor."
Their son cycles to his aunt's home, which is also in Toa Payoh, every night to sleep.
Says Wei Ping: "There is a mattress for me to sleep on at gu gu's (Mandarin for aunt) home. There is also air-conditioning."
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