The parliamentary secretariat for elderly and community care makes reference to the statement by Labour MPs Marie Louise Coleiro and Silvio Parnis regarding admission to homes for the elderly, (TMID, 25 May). The following clarification gives a more accurate account of the facts.

Contrary to what has been stated, there is a procedure which determines how the elderly are admitted to both St Vincent De Paul as well as the homes for the elderly. The board of admission analyses all applications and it is this board which determines the urgency or otherwise of each application on medical and social grounds.

Moreover it is important to highlight that the number of elderly people in Malta is always on the increase, and this has strong implications on the ever-increasing number of the elderly seeking government accommodation. There are currently 1,785 beds available: 1,053 at St Vincent De Paul, 619 beds in the seven Community Homes for the Elderly and 113 beds under the public private partnership scheme. The government, conscious of the ever-growing request for elderly accommodation, has increased the number of beds available. Namely:

• 20 extra beds have been added at St Vincent De Paul, so that now the total number of beds is 1,053.

• St Jeanne Antide, which was opened in April, accommodates a further 34 elderly residents.

• The new wards at St Vincent De Paul will host 108 elderly residents. These will be open by the end of summer.

• The Mellieha Home will accommodate over 100 beds.

Finally, the policy of the government has always been and will continue to be that as far as possible the elderly are to continue living in their homes, in an environment they know best and that is most congenial to them. In this regard, over the past years a wide range of services has been developed aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly.

Fiona Avgerinou

Communications Coordinator

Office of the Parliamentary Secretary

Elderly and Community Care