A police officer has penned a poignant online plea, telling people to spend more time with senior citizens after an elderly couple with no close relatives in Sydney were found dead in their northern beaches home.
Superintendent Dave Darcy told people to reach out to the elderly in the community.
"I reckon [they] should get off their Facebook for 20 minutes and spend a bit of time with some older people and get to understand what they're about," he said.
"Life is a team game and you need a few other people around you to make sure you're successful, sometimes.
"Our elderly, particularly in that 70s to 80s group, are completely left behind in terms of social media and a friend to them isn't a click of a button.
"A friend to them is someone who exchanges eye contact and genuinely cares about them."
Officers found the bodies of Geoffrey and Anne Iddon in their Palm Beach home shortly before 9:00am on Tuesday but it is unknown how long they had been deceased for.
Police released details of their discovery on the Northern Beaches Local Area Command Facebook page.
Superintendent Darcy said the husband was the carer for his wife, who was blind and had a number of disabilities.
"It's our view that he has probably passed away naturally," he said.
"Unfortunately his wife is very dependent on his care, as such she has become vulnerable and unfortunately passed away.
"They [were] a fiercely independent couple, life-long partners, where the husband was a very good and diligent carer of his wife.
"They were very resistant to help from health services and medical services."
Superintendent Darcy said the couple's closest relatives lived overseas and it was a neighbour who initially raised the alarm with police.
"It's just a tragic circumstance and a reminder to us all that we need to look after our elderly," he said.
