Minister Michael Farrugia visits International Institute on Ageing(INIA) in Valletta

On the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the setting up of the United Nations International Institute on Ageing (INIA), the Minister for Health, Care for Elderly and Family Affairs the Hon Dr. Michael Farrugia paid a familiarisation visit to INIA where he met the Director Dr. George Hyzler and the staff. Minister Farrugia was briefed on the various research and training activities of the Institute for the coming biennium and in particular on the Institute's role in promoting Malta as centre for training in the field of ageing. Several projects were brought up in particular the annual training programmes in Income Security, Social Gerontology, Geriatrics and Demography of Ageing which are gaining an ever-increasing new profile among local and international participants; INIA's role in the INFOANZJAN project; the Malta Ageing Forum which brought for the first time the public and the private sectors together and aged-care-help; the inter-governmental conference on Ageing Populations in the Mediterranean Region which will be held in Malta in December 1997, and the ad hoc in-situ courses of which there is an increasing demand. Since 1995 six courses were held in Cape Town, Manila, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing. Groups from Israel and China have also come specifically to Malta to receive training on specialised areas related to the care and welfare of older persons. The Director of INIA also spoke at length on the new courses at INIA with special reference to a training course in Gozo in June 1997 and another course in Physical and Occupational Therapy for Older Persons.

Minister Farrugia showed his appreciation for the role INIA is playing in the local and international context of the care of the elderly. He augured that the co-operation between INIA and the Department of the Elderly be strengthened through joint ventures. Dr Farrugia remarked that the ageing of populations is a very positive phenomenon in the history of humankind. However the socio-economic and cultural contexts in which the elderly live need to be supported by everyone. The family, government, non-governmental organisations, the Church and the private sector have all an important role to play in this new scenario. For this reason the work of INIA for the developing world and for Malta is important and must be sustained. It is to the benefit of Malta that such an Institute is based on its soils and to benefit of many other countries that Malta takes so many initiatives to promote the care and welfare of older persons.

Dr Farrugia was shown round the Institute and spoke to all members of the staff. He was presented with some of INIA's latest publications in the field of ageing.