Russell Hagan at the Onetangi Beach Races on Waiheke 21 February 2016. Hagan was found by Meals on Wheels delivery person after lying on his Waiheke Island house floor for three days.
Russell Hagan at the Onetangi Beach Races on Waiheke 21 February 2016. Hagan was found by Meals on Wheels delivery person after lying on his Waiheke Island house floor for three days.
The only sign of life was a wave of a hand when Russell Hagan was found face down on his dining room floor by police last week.
The 71-year-old was freezing and only slightly conscious when Sergeant Martin Felton made the decision to break into his Waiheke Island home to check on his whereabouts.
An alert went out to police on August 23 after a Meals on Wheels staff member noticed its food packages hadn't been collected from his doorstep for several days.
Felton said he found the Onetangi house locked up and there was no response to voice calls, so he resorted to climbing through a window.
"I found the elderly gentleman lying face down in his dining room and it was clear he had been there for some time.
Russell Hagan and his son Michael Hagan in the 1970s.
Karen Hagan, who lives in Western Springs, said she "made the fastest trip to the hospital that I've ever made".
"It's a bit hard because when you're talking to him on the phone he makes out that he's fine, but then when I saw him at the hospital he looked like a skeleton."
Karen Hagan said she hadn't seen her father for about three months, but calls him every second day and gets a friend on the island to check on him.
Initial reports suggested Hagan may have been on the floor for up to three days, but his daughter last contacted him the day before his discovery.
"I sent a friend around there on Tuesday but he wasn't coming to the door.
"I then rang Dad and he was a little bit confused but I managed to keep him on the phone for about 15 minutes.
"As far as I can gather he sat at the dining room table for a little while and when he stood up he must have got light headed and fell to the ground."
She believes the collapse was due to dehydration.
"He has been living there by himself so is probably a bit depressed and wasn't really looking after himself properly."
Russell Hagan was found face down in the dining room of his Onetangi home.
A week on, Hagan is still in hospital recovering, but has no memory of the incident.
"I told him he had a helicopter trip and he doesn't remember that," Karen Hagan said.
"He forgot who I was for about five days which was a bit upsetting because I am a daddy's girl, but he knows who I am now."
Hagan is expected to be in hospital for another week, while doctors and family are discussing after care alternatives.
"The doctors don't think he is capable of going back home but my father has lived on the island for 10 to 15 years and is pretty stubborn about not wanting to move."
She wasn't aware her father was getting Meals on Wheels but is thankful they were there for him.
"Thank god they were and they did have a bit of a look in."
A Meals on Wheels staff member alerted police when she noticed some of the pre-cooked food packages hadn't been moved from their usual place.
Felton also sent his praises to the delivery service, calling them the "hero of the day".
"I'm really pleased the organisation took it upon themselves to call us, because who knows what would've happened if he spent another night where he was.
"There is every chance he might not have been there in the morning."
Julie Cairns, general manager of Waiheke Health Trust, said looking out for meal recipients is part of its service.
"The worker absolutely did the right thing and we got a great outcome, but in context this would be considered to be our normal process."
She said the incident provides a good opportunity to remind the community to keep an eye out for their neighbours.
"We have an ageing population and many of them are living isolated and alone so it's really important as a community that we keep an eye out for signs that things might not be normal."
