By ANNA USHER

An 81-year-old Mosman man lay trapped on the floor of his Avenue Road unit for days, in pain and unable to reach a phone, until his real estate agent called for help and saved his life.

Police believe the pensioner had been suffering for days and could not muster the strength to call for help, before officers, firefighters and paramedics reached him and rushed him to hospital last month.

It started on 9 July with a several unanswered phone calls from the local agent. Worried they had not heard from their elderly tenant in some time, the agent rang police.

Officers hurried to the block of units on Avenue Road and let themselves in with keys supplied by the real estate agency, but the front door would not budge.

Standing on the doorstep, they could hear the resident inside groaning in pain.

Police called in Fire and Rescue NSW, who climbed the man’s balcony to gain access to his home. NSW Ambulance paramedics were waiting. They gave him immediate treatment before he was carried out and taken to Royal North Shore for further care.

Officers had gone to the unit on the agent’s word alone, with no way of knowing what they would find inside.

The agent has not been named. But it was their instinct, to worry, to keep calling, and then to ring police, that brought help to the door.

Mosman Collective wants to find this local hero and say thank you. If you are the agent who made that call, or you know who manages the block, get in touch at [email protected]. All in confidence.

A reminder to check on your neighbours

Police say the case is a hard lesson for the whole community: check on the older people around you, especially those who live alone.

A quick phone call, a knock on the door or a welfare check costs nothing and takes minutes. For a frail neighbour who has had a fall and cannot get up, it can mean the difference between a scare and a tragedy.

In a suburb where people can live metres apart and still go days without speaking, one moment of noticing matters.

Small acts that build connection

It does not have to be an emergency. A knock on the door and a simple offer of help builds the kind of street where no one is left alone for days.

• Offer to walk their dog or go for a walk together.
• Bring their garbage bins in and out on collection day.
• Give them 10 to 30 minutes of help in the garden.
• Drop over a pot of soup or a few freezer meals for the colder months.
• Take round some flowers to mark a special week or occasion.
• For more ideas, see neighbourseveryday.org

How to look out for an older neighbour

Simple, practical ways to keep an eye on the older people near you.

• Agree a daily signal. A blind up by 9am, a wave over the fence or a quick text. If it does not come, go and knock.
• Swap numbers now. Trade phone numbers and one emergency contact each, so help is only ever one call away.
• Learn the quiet warning signs. Mail stacking up, bins never put out, curtains shut all day, or simply not seeing them for a while.
• Sign them up to a free daily call. Red Cross Telecross rings every morning, 365 days a year, and follows up if there is no answer. Details at redcross.org.au/telecross.
• Ask about a personal alarm. A wearable medical alert with fall detection can call for help even if they cannot reach a phone.
• Call My Aged Care. For anyone over 65 who needs a hand at home, ring 1800 200 422 to arrange support and an assessment.
• Trust your gut. If you cannot reach someone and you are worried, ask police for a welfare check on 131 444, or triple-0 in an emergency. You can stay anonymous.