CareMalta Ltd, Malta's largest and leading private care provider, has just launched a series of information sessions for family and informal carers of elderly persons who live in the community. The company has launched this innovative initiative with the assistance of a number of Local Council, in both Malta and Gozo, and will be actively reaching out to those individuals who are acting as care-givers to their parents, spouses, relatives or friends.
The first session was held a few days ago, at the Attard Parish Centre and in collaboration with the Attard Local Council. According to Rosette Farrugia Bonello, lead trainer for the initiatives, "attendance was strong and the feedback gauged throughout the trainings session was particularly encouraging."
The success of the initiatives has confirmed CareMalta's belief that there are a number of people within the community who are more than willing to improve their abilities and skills when it comes to caring for an elderly person in their lives. Alex Tranter, Chief Executive officer of CareMalta, stated that "our company is committed to actively assisting in the improvement in the quality of life enjoyed by Malta's elderly population and, of course, that of their care-givers. We will continue to explore other avenues that will allow us to achieve our goals in this respect."
The first training session within the localities focuses on dementia and aims to raise awareness about the dynamics of the illness and the effects that it can have on suffers themselves, on caregivers and on the family. "It is absolutely essential that more training and education is giving about dementia, its effects and how to handle someone with the condition. CareMalta has a great deal of expertise in this area and is now seeking to pass on this knowledge to those who really need it, for the benefit of all involved," explains Ms Farrugia Bonello.
Dementia is in fact one of the most common afflictions to affect older adults. It is estimated that there are currently around 5000 older persons with dementia in Malta and Gozo, and the amount is expected to increase dramatically over the coming years.
The training initiatives organised by CareMalta will tackle a host of other issues including moving and handling skills are required by those involved in elderly care to ensure that the right techniques are used for health and safety reasons and for the maximum comfort and safety of the elderly person.
CareMalta is currently planning similar sessions in other localities to be scheduled for the coming weeks in various localities across Malta and Gozo including Sliema, Dingli Mallieha, Vittoriosa, Valletta and San Lawrenz.