Speech by the Hon. Dr. Antoine Mifsud Bonnici, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Social Policy, during the International Short Programme in Social Gerontology

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning. In my capacity as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Social Policy, on behalf of the Government of Malta, I extend my welcome to you all, participants to this International Short Programme in Social Gerontology. You are gathered here this morning, coming from 14 different countries and I feel confident that during this two week course you will also be able to share and exchange your individual experiences between yourselves which will be of immense benefit to you.

This multi-disciplinary training programme in Social Gerontology is geared towards providing a broad understanding of the gerontological issues in order to enable care-givers, who are engaged in providing delivery services to the elderly, to acquire a better understanding of the whole spectrum of concepts, services and skills needed to provide adequately for the needs of elderly people.

In the course of the consideration of these issues, certain basic parameters are indisputable. The process of ageing will continue unabated and the total number of old people will rise considerably, in particular of those highly advanced age with a noticeably weakened capacity to live an independent life, thus requiring the society to organise a wide range of specialised services and benefits suited to their needs and standing; on account of their age, a large number of people will remain out of regular production processes and other creative pursuits, thus raising a major question with their community of how to provide for them a meaningful and active life lest they should feel socially rejected, humiliated, miserable and discriminated against.

For a level of living conditions worthy of human beings to be provided to the retired and the elderly, it is essential to establish, define and ensure a subsistence level that will not jeopardise their biological and social survival and human dignity.

In the area of health care policy, note should be taken of the specific aspects of the state of health and morbidity of the aged, including their social and family status, so as to allow for an adequate level of free health care, including prevention and systematic medical examinations; diagnoses; treatment of most common diseases affecting old people including cardio-vascular, gastro-enterological and respiratory diseases, neuroses, other mental disorders, etc; and their rehabilitation.

An adequate level of education in gerontology and geriatrics and specialised training courses for nursing staff, registered nursing personnel and physicians attending to the needs of old people need to be provided.

In the area of social welfare, more rapid development of non-institutional forms of social welfare and care for the elderly should be ensured, in particular of sheltered housing, domiciliary help, day centres, etc., to enable the elderly to live at home as long as possible. Access to old people’s homes should be made available only as a last resort when all other possibilities of providing non-institutional social welfare to the elderly have been exhausted.

In Malta, our Welfare Policy is mainly based on the premise that individual citizens have the opportunity to participate as actively as possible in the Welfare Society model of our social policy. A social policy that caters both for the preventive aspect, which aims at anticipating needs and teaching individuals how to help themselves and others, and the curative aspect based on identifying needs and meeting them. Since economic resources do not measure up to society’s needs, an efficient system of allocation is of primary importance; hence priority should favour the most needy. While the government should shoulder its responsibility for the well-being of the individual it should support voluntary organisations all the way. Through such action an efficient network of services aimed at helping the elderly remain in their community for as long as possible, will be guaranteed.

This policy can be fulfilled, only if:

The network of services for the elderly, be the State, Church, voluntary or non-voluntary organisations are integrated as fully as possible;

Social assistance and home-help and other community services are provided to those qualifying for it;

Institutions for the elderly, such as SVPR are provided support;

Day Centres are set up and functioning properly.

Over the past years, the Government of Malta together with various organisations have formulated and initiated various policies, programes and schemes, aimed at implementing the general policy for the elderly. These initiatives have and are contributing greatly to the care and well-being of the elderly. The range of community care services provided to our elderly include home care/help service, domiciliary nursing, telecare service, handyman service, meals on wheels, day centres, social work, anti-geriatric and rehabilitation hospital besides long term residential care which incorporates community homes for the elderly and St.Vincent de Paul Residence. During the coming two weeks you will definitely hear a lot more about these services and their impact on our elderly people.

The assertion that people are happier to remain in their own environment was, and still is, the guiding principle which determined the planning of all those policies that have been formulated and implemented by this secretariat since it was set up. By providing care and support where the family and the individual are unable to manage alone, these services help the elderly maintain good health and to live independent lives in their own homes and in the community, while at the same time enable families to cope, thus preventing or at least differing the need for long term institutional care. Social welfare centres, in collaboration with relevant humanitarian organisations, and local communities, should systematically monitor the living conditions of the elderly and mobilise local communities and local level structures so as to promote good neighbour solidarity with the elderly, especially with those living alone or in senior households who are sick and house bound.

Justified and continuous insistence must be made on a consistent fulfilment of legal and moral obligations of the next of kin to look after infirm and needy family members. It is, however, also necessary to exert influence, by means of education, on public opinion and general attitudes to family solidarity where a major role is to be played by educators, schools, children and youth institutions and organisations, social welfare and other services. Because of the limitations that increasing age inflicts on all of us, it has become all to easy to see elderly persons as more passive receptors of care. It is time we all begin to look on the elderly person as an active contributor. The elderly themselves should start asking what they can give to their society rather than what they can get out of it.

In the field of education and culture, retired and old people should be provided with the requisite facilities for engaging in educational, cultural and creative pursuits. In my country, more than 800 senior citizens are enrolled in the University of the Third Age. It is amazing how the University of the Third Age has given members a new lease of life.

The University of the Third Age which forms part of the Institute of Gerontology of the University of Malta has proved to be a successful experiment.

Dear Colleagues,

During these two weeks you will be undergoing an intensive training programme that will underline the necessity of co-ordination between formal and informal support systems in the realisation of our prime objective, that is, to add life to years not just years to life. You will find that proper emphasis must be given to the economic needs of the elderly. You will be discussing the pros and cons of flexibility of the retirement age; family support, increased pensions, educational courses and formation of self-help groups; revision and evaluation of the facilities and services offered in institutions; the delivery of health services; the impact of urbanisation and industrialisation on the family, but particularly on the elderly; the importance that should be given in future to the quality of the service besides the quantity; the development of human resources in order to meet the challenges of old age in the promotion of quality of life. All these and other topics you will be debating between yourselves within the framework of the changes of the family structure, the social, economic, technological and scientific development, the higher increase of the expectancy of life, in developed and developing countries, creating the necessity to develop new methods and skills to overcome the demands of modern life.

In conclusion, may I express my great pleasure in declaring this International Short Programme in Social Gerontology open. I again extend my welcome and wish you a fruitful work in this two week course and a pleasant stay in our island and in the meantime you can also enjoy our carnival festivities.

Thank you.