A €12 million investment into a new care home for elders was announced yesterday on location in Birkirkara.

The home will have accommodation for 150 in-house individuals, six beds to be used specifically for night shelter use, and a number of activities will be organised to keep the residents active – with the residents having specifically medium to high levels of needs (according to their assessment).

The home will also have a library, wellbeing centre, gym, visitation room with recreational activities, four levels of underground parking, and creative spaces, whilst also having a dementia unit, a high dependency unit, and a clinic available in the building.

Minister for Social Solidarity Michael Falzon said that we must face the demographic reality that 25% of citizens in Malta are over 65 years of age, and that number was expected to rise, including an increase in cases of dementia.

“We must not only look to what is needed today, but also what is needed in the future.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing Anthony Agius Decelis added that we must make sure that the social needs of elders are taken care of and are kept up to date, noting that the goal was to cut down the waiting list of applicants for care homes.

Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi, who was there in his capacity as head of Projects Malta, maintained that we wouldn’t have been able to invest in this sector without first having created a strong economy.