The ongoing refurbishment works at Pope John Paul II section at St Vincent de Paul Residence will provide 144 beds in 24 en-suite bedrooms, six atriums to serve as dining rooms and activity areas, four treatment rooms and two large yards for elderly people to spend time outdoors, said the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care Mario Galea during a visit to the premises.

This project will be the first to focus on the ever growing needs of people suffering from dementia. There are 4,000 people suffering from dementia in Malta, and this is on the increase. The ground floor of Pope John Paul II section will be reserved for those suffering from this condition. Professional staff will be especially trained and rooms will be painted in different colours and equipped with the necessary amenities to facilitate orientation.

Meanwhile, the authorities are holding ongoing courses for carers and around 60 persons will be adequately trained to assist nurses in the coming months. Mr Galea also explained that the Secretariat for Elderly and Community Care is encouraging retired nurses and others who may have stopped working after marriage to rejoin the work force.

“A number of persons have already been contacted in the past months to give services at the Mellieha residence for the elderly, ‘Dar il-Madonna tal-Mellieha’,” Mr Galea said.

The investment at Pope John Paul II section is of around e5.2 million and the building is to serve as accessible premises for its residents as well as for medical staff working there. In fact, Mr Galea explained, medical staff will be able to make use of eight staff rooms, four nursing stations, four pantries and three sluice rooms.

Originally, the building consisted of a three storey structure with facilities which were not accessible to elderly people and which were also limited for its staff. A point to note, Mr Galea said, is that 60 per cent of St Vincent de Paul’s residents are wheelchair bound or bedridden and totally dependent.

He also pointed out that the improvement of facilities was essential due to an ageing population. In 2006 the country’s population was 408,000, a number which is expected to decrease by five per cent by the year 2050. On the other hand, those aged 65 and over will increase by 81 per cent by the same year.

Thus the government is working on improving community service and support to families in order to help elderly people stay in the community and close to their families because otherwise “there would be no way to meet demand,” Mr Galea said.

Currently, electricity, water, drainage and air conditioning systems are being set up, and plastering and tiling works are in hand. This project is expected to be finished in the first months of the coming year. Another project of the sort is taking place at the St Joan Antide home in Attard where 61 beds will also be available in the coming months.