Beneath the shimmering facade of the Kuala Lumpur city centre lies a growing problem — that of thousands of elderly folk wandering about collecting cardboard and aluminium cans, trying to earn a living.

Having depleted their retirement savings, many among this group would have downgraded from a rented home to a room to stretch their thinning budget.

With no family members left to rely on in their twilight years and no one willing to employ them, this group would resort to menial labour, including collecting and selling recyclables for a few ringgit, to survive.

Kechara Soup Kitchen marketing director Justin Cheah said this group had become the "forgotten generation" among the urban poor.

"Nobody knows about them... they are hidden and forgotten."

Cheah said there were 3,000 to 4,000 elderly in the city centre who belong to this group, many of whom suffered from chronic diseases due to their old age.

He said the problem wasn't limited to Kuala Lumpur but also other states with urban centres, such as Penang, Johor and Perak.

Cheah said Kechara Soup Kitchen, which runs programmes to feed the poor, was familiar with this "forgotten generation".

He said at least 60 per cent of its recipients every Saturday were those aged 60 and above.

"They have medical issues such as hypertension because they don't sleep well, diabetes, skin rashes and even gangrene.

"It's also common for them to have mental health issues because they are living under stressful conditions, thinking constantly about how to survive," he said.

He said Kechara Soup Kitchen would help them with basic medication and refer those with chronic diseases to hospital.

He said 20 per cent of the some 600 elderly that it treated at its mobile clinics had chronic diseases.

He said based on its observation, mental health issues affecting this group usually stemmed from insecurity and worrying about surviving.

"As a result of this insecurity, some accumulate as many things as they can, or hoarding.

"Most people who hoard have psychological issues. They feel insecure because they are living alone.

"This need to get more is seen when they queue up to get food.

"They'll try their luck by queuing for a second time in the hopes of getting another helping.

"We would gently tell them 'no', and that we have to be fair to everyone," he said.

He said some of them were also not used to queuing, and wanted to fight their way through.

"They see it as having to fight for their life on the streets, a real-life game of survival."

He said that for many of them, the food from soup kitchens and financial aid from the Social Welfare Department made the difference between having enough or starving.

He said many of these elderly shared a similar path, namely having rented a house, then renting a room to save money and later being kicked out of their accommodations after exhausting their savings.

"For those who still have money to rent a room, they would usually rent the top floor as it's the cheapest.

"Imagine someone of that age, with so many illnesses, climbing up five flights of stairs every day to go home," he said.

He said most of the elderly had little knowledge of their eligibility for aid.

He shared his story of an elderly man whose body was bent almost 90 degrees due to a spinal problem.

He said the man had all this while relied on his sister.

When she died of Covid-19, he was at risk of being left out on the streets.

"The moment his sister died, he became restless and helpless.

"Our officer took him to the hospital to get checked so that he could be certified as an disabled person and qualify for financial help.

"He didn't know of this aid. I shudder to think what would've happened to him had he not approached us," he said.

He urged the public to approach these elderly folk to check on them if they encountered them on the streets.

"When you see them on the streets, ask where they are living, what sort of lifestyle they have.

"You'd know just based on what they wear.

"Most of them are frugal. They wear the same clothes most of the time and normally walk around the same area."

He said the public could connect with elderly people with Kechara Soup Kitchen.

He said it was time the government implemented a safety net that didn't require them having to be placed in a shelter home.

He said for starters, a programme could be enacted to allow the elderly to buy cheaper goods.

Cheah also advised the public to plan for the future and refrain from withdrawing money unnecessarily from their Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

"Some people said they can't even survive now, which is why they need the EPF money.

"It's best they consider all other aid before thinking about using their retirement funds."