SMRT staff step up to help elderly commuter with Parkinson's at Bayfront MRT station: 'We had to act fast'

For four SMRT staff, what began as a routine shift turned into an act of teamwork and compassion as they came together to help an elderly commuter in distress.

Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Oct 27), senior station manager Abdul Rahman, 38, recalled how he stepped in to assist a man with Parkinson's disease after being alerted to a commuter who appeared unwell at Bayfront MRT station on Oct 15 at around 4pm.

"A contractor from Marina Bay Sands came to the passenger service counter asking for medical assistance for someone unwell and we spotted an Indian man in his late 60s in a motorised wheelchair who was trembling vigourously," said Rahman.

Recognising that the man needed help, Rahman alerted his colleagues, senior assistant manager Muhammad Faris, 29, and assistant manager Suhaimi bin Mohamad, 36.

"We knew we had to act fast if he was unwell so we spoke to the man and he shared that he has Parkinson's and that he hadn't taken his medication," said Faris, adding that the team brought the man to a safe spot and bought him a meal.

Faris added that the contractor, who had initially spotted the man, also stayed behind to help facilitate communication between the man and the staff.

'Safety comes first'

Over the next two hours, the team tried to contact the man's helper while caring for him and continuing to carry out their duties.

"When he needed to use the washroom, we had to work together to assist him out of his wheelchair and guide him to an accessible toilet, which wasn't easy, especially with him experiencing tremors," said Faris.

Throughout the incident, the team noted that the man remained positive and communicative, repeatedly apologising for troubling the staff.

"He kept telling us not to worry and that he was sorry to trouble us but we assured him that everything was okay and that it was our job to help," said Rahman.

After the elderly man's helper arrived, senior assistant manager Ren Xue Qi, 38, accompanied them to the platform and alerted staff at Buona Vista MRT station to the man's condition ahead of his arrival.

Reflecting on the incident, Ren said the experience had helped the team better understand how to assist commuters in similar situations in the future.

Suhaimi added: "This experience has taught us a lot about assisting someone with Parkinson's and will help us better handle similar situations in the future."

"If anyone encounters someone who appears unwell or needs assistance while travelling on the MRT, please do not hesitate to seek help from station staff. Safety comes first for passengers," said Rahman.

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

对于四名SMRT员工来说，原本例行的轮班工作变成了一次展现团队合作和同情心的行动，他们齐心协力帮助了一位陷入困境的老年乘客。

周二（10 月 27 日），38 岁的高级车站经理阿卜杜勒·拉赫曼在接受 AsiaOne 采访时回忆起，10 月 15 日下午 4 点左右，他在海湾舫地铁站发现一名乘客身体不适，于是上前帮助了一名患有帕金森氏症的男子。

拉赫曼说：“滨海湾金沙的一名承包商来到乘客服务柜台，请求为一位身体不适的人提供医疗援助。我们发现一名 60 多岁的印度男子坐在电动轮椅上，浑身剧烈颤抖。”

拉赫曼意识到这名男子需要帮助，便通知了他的同事，分别是 29 岁的高级助理经理穆罕默德·法里斯和 36 岁的助理经理苏海米·本·穆罕默德。

“我们知道如果他身体不适，就必须迅速采取行动，所以我们和这名男子交谈，他告诉我们他患有帕金森病，而且没有服用药物，”法里斯说，并补充说，团队将这名男子带到了一个安全的地方，并给他买了一顿饭。

法里斯补充说，最初发现这名男子的承包商也留下来帮助促进该男子与工作人员之间的沟通。

安全第一

在接下来的两个小时里，救援队一边照顾这名男子，一边继续履行职责，同时试图联系他的助手。

“当他需要上洗手间时，我们必须齐心协力帮助他从轮椅上下来，引导他到无障碍洗手间，这并不容易，尤其是当他手抖的时候，”法里斯说。

事件全程，团队注意到该男子始终保持积极乐观的态度，并积极沟通，多次为给工作人员带来麻烦而道歉。

拉赫曼说：“他一直安慰我们不要担心，说很抱歉给我们添麻烦了，但我们向他保证一切都没问题，帮助我们是我们的职责。”

老人的助手到达后，38岁的高级助理经理任雪琪陪同他们来到站台，并在老人到达前通知了波那维斯达地铁站的工作人员老人的情况。

任先生在回顾这起事件时表示，这次经历帮助团队更好地了解如何在未来类似情况下帮助通勤者。

苏海米补充道：“这次经历让我们学到了很多关于如何帮助帕金森病患者的知识，也将帮助我们在未来更好地处理类似情况。”

拉赫曼说：“如果乘客在乘坐地铁时遇到身体不适或需要帮助的人，请不要犹豫，立即向车站工作人员寻求帮助。乘客的安全永远是第一位的。”

邢莹.koh@asiaone.com