We can all help raise awareness of the bigger challenges we have to face when we live in a progressive country. We all know that people are living longer, healthier and more active lives – this is a consequence of progress. Now we must also be conscious that although we have built resistance and resilience to physical ageing, the number of people suffering from dementia is ever increasing and will continue to increase.
The government is planning a national strategic programme on how this new ageing phenomenon is going to be addressed. It is our responsibility to ensure that the senior members of our families do not lose their dignity and maintain their state of well-being as they grow older. A quarter of our population are senior citizens and more than 6,000 of these are known to have dementia. Probably the real figure is much more and will double in less than 20 years’ time. We must therefore put on our thinking caps and plan our strategy to respond to this challenge.
My Parliamentary Secretariat responsible for Active Ageing and Persons with Disability is currently participating in a multi-disciplinary consultation process with experts to devise a national programme for tackling the challenges of dementia from various aspects. We know that this problem is afflicting many families and is the cause of burn out of our informal caregivers; therefore we will not wait for a paper document before something happens. We have just had a crash course for practitioners and experts on gerontology and geriatrics which included information and dementia care training.
Furthermore, last week I addressed the closing session of a course on awareness about dementia organised for government officers who work in the field. This was only the first of such courses. I thanked the officers who attended for showing such interest beyond the normal call of duty, and gave each of them a certificate of participation.
In our national plan of awareness and treatment, we are going to stress on education. We will sharpen awareness of dementia in various sectors of society. First the general public will be exposed to a media campaign. Then the carers and families of persons with dementia will be given particular information and possibility of training. Of course we have to invest mostly in the training of our workers who specialise in the direct caring of dementia patients.
We have found out that there is lack of high level training among professionals responsible for detecting and even treating dementia patients. Our Parliamentary Secretariat will address this lack with the best that international research has to offer.
I am happy to say that the government has got the ball rolling. There is a spirit of pioneering at all levels. This week, I had a visit from officers of a workers’ organisation from St Vincent de Paul. GHASI is a specialised organisation, some 600 strong, which has been protecting the interest of workers who are directly involved in caring for the aged. What the particular import and relevance of this organisation is that they pool resources to offer insurance and also assistance when a member or his family is in need. They live solidarity and I was really impressed by their endeavours to help their fellow employees in times of need. They also value retired employees of SVPR and this is an expression of respect and gratitude. I promised them that I would be their avid supporter and promoter. It is so wonderful when you see people who are genuinely proud of their work. They also did me the honour of appointing me Honorary President of their workers’ association, GHASI. I hope I will meet their expectations by keeping open our mutual lines of communication.
It is quite encouraging for me to see such love for the elderly. Together with my colleague Minister Michael Farrugia, we joined in celebrating the 100th birthday of Ms Carmen Lenicker at St Vincent de Paul. Her energy and clarity of mind was an inspiration to all of us. She thanked us for the visit and presents, but we thanked her for being the living proof of our national love for the elderly and our commitment to look after our senior citizens – which is not only a moral but also a legal obligation.
Dr Caruana is Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Aging