Original date: 2016-04-24, based on the recoverable Wayback Machine snapshot
This is a controversial question. I can only describe what I personally did.
On a visit home, I took my mother to a morning market. Outside a live-fish shop, we met an elderly man with a heavy nosebleed. I initially only pointed towards a hospital about six hundred metres away.
When he took his first step, he nearly fell. The ground around the fish shops was slippery, and tilting his head made an accident more likely. I caught up and supported him. At a crossing, a large truck passed while he moved forward in confusion and almost pulled us both towards it. He became frightened, asked me to save him, and collapsed trembling against me.
My mother carried his bag while I supported him quickly to the emergency department. In the lift I could feel his heartbeat. The moment affected me deeply.
The first response from a doctor was harsher than I expected, and I found myself reassuring the man. He was treated successfully and thanked us repeatedly before I left.
Several years earlier, I saw an older man fall on a bridge to a park and helped him up. He turned out to be begging. He did not accuse me of anything; instead, he thanked me and held my hand so that I could not easily leave.
To ease the awkward situation, I asked where he lived. He said he was from Anhui and had no money. He produced a wallet and identity card, but the card showed that he was local to my hometown. I showed him my own inexpensive wallet and joked that his branded one was better. We talked about why he begged and about his experiences.
Later, when an elderly woman asked me for money, I talked with her about family and the difficulty of life, bought her a milk tea, and explained that young people also struggled. When we met again, she would greet me warmly.
Neither encounter led to an accusation. That does not establish a general probability; it reports only my experience. My point was not moral superiority. We will also become old, and I hope people are not left unaided after a fall.
My simple conclusion was: assess the situation and help within your capacity. In an emergency, protect the person and yourself, call local emergency services, and avoid actions beyond your training.
A reader observed that willingness to help may differ by age and responsibilities. The author replied that circumstances matter while still advocating help.