Senior Citizens and Active Ageing Minister Michael Farrugia today announced the opening of the first dementia day-night care respite centre in Malta, which will be located in Mtarfa.

This centre, set to open its doors in September is aimed to provide services for people suffering from dementia. This centre, together with another in Ħal Safi which is planned to be ready later on this year, will provide a safe and welcoming environment where persons with dementia can participate in therapeutic activities.

The centre will also serve as a night shelter for patients who suffer from dementia, where it will host 12 patients within the locality of Mtarfa with family members being able to visit the patients three times a week.

Farrugia said that there are currently about 7,000 persons with dementia in Malta. Given the stigma about dementia in our society, persons with dementia are either hesitant to ask for help or avoid being in public, resulting in situations of exclusion and isolation.

 “Dementia-friendly communities aim to breakdown the stigma associated with dementia by educating communities on the condition and its impact on the person and their family,” Minister Michael Farrugia said.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the ministry and the Mtarfa local council with the aim of creating a community that is dementia-friendly.

The first step of the agreement will be the setting up of a steering group of people with an interest in the project who will meet regularly, prioritise and work on initiatives. Persons with dementia and/or their caregivers will be encouraged to join this steering group since their input would be invaluable to the project.

Several awareness talks will be given by professionals working in the field to educate the Mtarfa community on the condition, on how it impacts the person and how the community might be able to help these persons continue living well in their community.

A similar agreement was also signed with the Safi local council.

The ministry also announced a campaign, named “I Support”, organised in collaboration with the World Health Organisation. It will include online media campaigns both in Maltese and English that will seek to educate the community, on how to interact with people who suffer from dementia, how to behave with people who suffer from the condition and what services do exist for the benefit of these patients.

Mtarfa mayor Daniel John Attard said that this project is extremely important for both the families and the patients.