This month, the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Ageing embarked on a series of new projects and services related to the elderly. October is the month officially dedicated to our older citizens and we did not want to have the usual ceremonial clichés but to tangibly address challenges and shortcomings. However, it is useless planning new services and new initiatives without having the human resources required to put them into effect.
That is why this month in particular we have put the emphasis on training. We began with a seminar on Nutrition for the Elderly, targeting various people working in different sections of care for the elderly. A second seminar targeted another group of stakeholders, including the St Vincent de Paul Active Ageing Unit. This seminar dealt with elderly men and active ageing, because older men are generally in a more favourable position regarding daily living activities compared to older women. However, this does not translate into participation and therefore older men are less visible socially. This means there is a need to provide the proper resources for older men to continue actively participating in society, such as the lifelong learning hubs - now in 20 different areas - which we intend to continue enhancing.
This week I was also invited to address - and participate in - an international conference of the network Education and Learning of Older Adults held at the Old University in Valletta. I spoke about the importance of education and learning for older people and why the government is introducing these lifelong learning sessions in day-centres for the elderly and other initiatives such as pre-retirement courses for those who will soon be reaching retirement age. I stressed that my Secretariat is also giving financial help to the University of the Third Age because we believe that this project is beneficial in helping older people remain active in society. Training for adults is very important to ensure a good quality of life and that older people keep mentally active. Learning sessions also promote self-satisfaction, self-confidence, and socialising with different participants and what we are offering varies from very formal academic structures to informal and flexible learning sessions. It is a known fact that our country offers a lot of learning opportunities, but older people may face specific difficulties when they participate in learning activities. We therefore want to give more opportunities to older people, especially those who are not generally motivated to participate in such educational and traditional activities held in their respective areas, and make these educational opportunities more accessible.
In conclusion, I would like to thank Gzira mayor Roberto Cristiano and the local council for collaborating with our Secretariat in the refurbishment and modernisation of old local council premises to provide a day centre for our older residents. This centre will also provide lifelong-learning sessions such as dance classes and crafts for older people. This is part of our work to continue strengthening our community services. Last week we improved our respite services by increasing the bed capacity threefold and also reached agreement with the Centru Raghaj it-Tajjeb in Gozo to begin a programme of activities for older people in Taċ-Ċawla. We have also launched an invitation to local councils to collaborate in connection with services for the older members of their community.
The road is long and winding but we are positive, dynamic and more determined than ever
Dr Caruana is the Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Aging