‘I am not a disobedient child,’ says son of elderly man who went viral

PASIR MAS – “I am not a disobedient child. My father is senile, prone to anger and often throws things around.”

That was the response of Abdullah Ismail, 59, the son of elderly man Ismail Che Noh, 79, better known as Pak Mail, whose case recently went viral on social media.

Abdullah, an only child, said he was deeply hurt and saddened after being labelled an unfilial son following the circulation of videos involving his father.

“I did not neglect my father. He has been suffering from senility for about a year and often wanders away from home, which is why we had no choice but to restrict his movement.

“He also frequently behaves aggressively, throwing tantrums, breaking window panes and scattering clothes from the wardrobe,” he told reporters when met at his home in Kampung Repek here on Sunday.

Earlier, Apam Putra assemblyman Zamakhshari Muhamad visited the family accompanied by representatives from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) and handed over assistance in the form of a recliner chair and a mattress.

Abdullah, who has five children and was divorced about a year ago, said his father’s aggressive behaviour had forced his eldest child, who previously lived with them, to move out and rent another house.

He said he continued to fulfil his responsibilities as a son, including sending food before leaving for work, bathing his father and putting on disposable diapers, although his father would often tear them off.

He added that the house had to be locked for fear that his father would wander off.

“It’s not that I never asked my father to live with me, but he refused.

“My father’s house is currently undergoing repairs and is located next to my house. If anything happens, we can hear it,” he said.

According to Abdullah, after his father was taken by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and sent to the Emergency Unit of Hospital Pasir Mas, he later took his father back home.

“Now my father is staying with us for safety reasons.

“I plan to install metal grilles on his bedroom door to prevent him from wandering out,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pasir Mas Social Welfare Department (JKM) officer Mohd Khairul Azhar Mat Jurit said the elderly man receives monthly assistance of RM500.

He said the bedridden patient care assistance is channelled to the man’s granddaughter, Nur Ain Amira, 25, Abdullah’s fourth child.

Zamakhshari said his visit, together with JKM officers and the village head, was aimed at obtaining the full facts of the case.

“It is important for us to get accurate information and not hear only one side, to avoid confusion,” he said.