This was not just the opening of a home for the elderly, but the putting into practice of two fundamental values on which the government is trying to build society – solidarity and subsidiarity – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said on Friday.
Dr Gonzi, who was speaking during the opening of Roseville, a home for the elderly in Attard, owned and managed by Care Malta group, said this was what distinguished the Maltese people – they understood those suffering and would try to help somehow.
The opening of this home marks the solidarity with a very important group in society, he said, the elderly. Through the years they have given birth to and brought up their families and today we can give a little back, by providing fitting accommodation.
The elderly have an important role to play, Dr Gonzi said, even once they move into a home for the elderly. It would be mistaken to regard their contribution from a utilitarian point of view, he said, as they enrich the lives of all of us, not just their family’s.
Homes for the elderly are not a substitute for families, he said, and they should continue to visit them and spend time with them. These homes, he said, provide for the particular needs of the elderly, while allowing families to enjoy their elderly.
To see the private and voluntary sectors investing in homes and services for the elderly, he said, indicates that solidarity is a responsibility which is shared and not shouldered solely by the government.
Turning to subsidiarity, Dr Gonzi said that this provided the tools to put solidarity into practice, since it distributed power, responsibilities, duties and work which must be done by all members of society.
The government currently rents 209 beds from these homes led by the private sector, to accommodate the elderly, he said. This initiative, which began in 2002, started with some 60 beds so as to be able to provide more places for the elderly.
There was a considerable leap forward when another form of partnership with the private sector was developed, he said. The Zejtun, Bormla and Mellieha homes are based on the concept of a public private partnership. The government believes the private sector can offer a lot, in terms of homes and in terms of services and trained employees, he said.
Nevertheless this does not detract from the government’s responsibility in offering a high quality service to all the elderly. Some 2,700 elderly have gone into homes over the past five years, he said, and over 600 of them went into various homes around Malta.
The rest went to St Vincent de Paule, he said, which had been expanded, improved and made more attractive. Moreover, it offers quality service, to which the new Pope John Paul II block is testament.
The wards are equipped for elderly persons suffering from dementia and the employees were trained to be able to offer better care to these residents.
Besides residential homes, he said, the government was providing day care services to the elderly, and in fact there are currently 17 of these in Malta. Local councils are instrumental in the running of these centres and in the organisation of activities to keep the elderly active.
Dr Gonzi referred to the day centre opened on Friday morning in Mellieha, and said that in the coming weeks the first night shelter would be opened in Zejtun. This was the result of an agreement with the nuns of the Jesus of Nazareth Convent.
The voluntary sector is very strong in various sectors of society, he said, and was one of Malta’s major assets. Such centres and homes, he said, show the work being done by the government, by local councils, the private sector and the Church together.