SPEECH BY THE HON. DR. LOUIS DEGUARA, MINISTER OF HEALTH AT THE CLOSURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT TRAINING PROGRAMME IN HEALTH AND LONGEVITY ORGANISED BY THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGEING (INIA) – VALLETTA – 02.11.2001

You have just undergone an intensive two-week programme. You have come from different parts of the World, you have different cultures, religions and traditions. Yet, this intensive programme did not only give you the opportunity to assimilate the valid contributions of your tutors, but most importantly you have had the opportunity to share among yourselves, your individual experiences which each of you had encountered in the field of ageing in your respective countries.

Since the earliest times, human imagination has sought to find a magic formula to help human beings to live for as long as possible. Today, science and technology have made possible what the magic formula could not. The present ageing of the World population is one of humanity’s most tangible and visible successes, ranking high as a human achievement.

Living longer can offer unprecedented opportunities for personal and socially fulfilling lives. However, it also presents individual and societal challenges related to quality of life in old age. These includes independence, social interaction, health care and community involvement. It is for this fact, that in order to respond to these challenges, countries have to develop sound and affordable policies that perceive ageing as a natural process which continues throughout the life span.

May I remind you of the final text of the World Assembly on Ageing:

I would like to take the opportunity offered by the concluding session of this programme, to highlight Malta’s role on issues related to old age.

Health ageing has been on my governments’ agenda since the late eighties. Malta is in fact one of the first countries to appoint a Parliamentary Secretary responsible forthe Welfare of the Elderly. Since its very inception in 1987, it has always looked upon the elderly as those persons who had contributed to their country through various commitments: either through work or family rearing.

Our policy aims at safeguarding a respectable living standard for all; at providing satisfactory care and attention to those who need it; supporting all private and voluntary initiatives that aim at promoting the true welfare of the elderly and, last but not the least, encouraging the elderly to continue participating in the economic and social life, thus avoiding social exclusion and marginalization.

Healthy ageing goes beyond the mere habits or skills needed to live longer. It is a state of being which an individual must learn to achieve as early as possible. Healthy ageing is achievable if we manage to add life to years.

It is precisely within this context that the Secretariat continually endeavours to complement longevity of life with quality by providing:

• The necessary support in the community with the scope of helping the elderly to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, mainly through the following services: home help, handyman, telecare, meals-on wheels and the Day Centres.
• Respite to the informal care-givers to temporarily relieve them of the often strenuous task of caring for frail or dependant elderly relatives or friends.
• Specialised geriatric rehabilitative care – that helps maximise an elderly person’s level of independence.

• Residential care for frail elderly who despite community services, still find it difficult to continue living in their own homes.

• A long-term nursing complex that houses elderly persons having different levels of dependence.

• Training Opportunities for persons who work or intend to work in the field of ageing, thus securing an increase in the availability of skilled human resource that should in turn reflect itself in more effective service delivery.

• Promote Active Ageing. The Elderly are encouraged to take an active part in their own affairs and support schemes. An important medium that empowers the elderly to have a say in matters which directly or indirectly affect their interests is the National Council of the Elderly. We also believe that education is an effective means of empowerment and thus the University of the Third Age within the Institute of Gerontology, University of Malta was set up in 1993. This creates the right fora for the promotion of knowledge and the exchange of various views among peers.

I would also like to mention the valuable contribution given over the years by the Church and the more recent involvement of the private sector in the field of ageing. Yet, it would be misleading to assume that the partners in this joint effort of care are only the State, the Church and the Private Sector. In addition to these three pillars one should not overlook the priceless contribution that can come from the elderly themselves. I believe that one of the most valuable roles we as policy makers, administrators, geriatricians, gerontologists etc… have, is to do our very best to find ways and means in order to recognise the potential and hence valuable contributions of older persons.

There is no limit to what every sector of population can do to its country and its people. It is erroneous to think that retirement from work means retirement from life; it is erroneous to believe that old age means a withdrawal from the centre of society; it is also wrong to associate old age with disability and it is incorrect to shun new challenges if one is still physically and mentally capable of achieving goals.

Longevity in Malta, is a fact that is attracting people to new challenges and new roles both locally and nationally. At the same time the government is doing its utmost to ensure that there are adequate legislative structures and opportunities to guarantee that the quality of life of older persons today and those of tomorrow will remain sustainable.

I am sure that the last few days in Malta have been fruitful. But, your job is not done yet. Your work is still beginning. The programme was just an eye-opener, a motivator to enhance knowledge and to set the right environment for discussion. This is only just the end to a new beginning.