Relatives of elderly residents who have been given three months to move out of a care home say they are “angry” and “worried” at the short notice to find alternative accommodation.

People living at the Apap Institute in Santa Venera were informed this week by the Curia, that it is to close by the end of the year.

They were told that the elderly nuns, who run the facility, can no longer manage the home.

One relative, Liliana, said she couldn’t bring herself to break the news to her mother, who is in her 90s, uses a wheelchair and has lived at the home for 12 years.

“This came so suddenly. They could have given us some more time. My mother does not know what’s happening yet and we will not tell her because she will worry so much. Besides, she loves the nuns and the staff so much. This will break her heart,” she said.

Three months is not enough time to rehome a puppy let alone an elderly person- Relative of resident of Apap Institute

The home accommodates 30 residents and is run by five nuns, all over 70 years old, alongside 13 care staff.

'No help' to find new homes

On Tuesday the Curia cited a decline in vocations and high refurbishment costs as the reasons behind the Dominican Sisters’ decision to relinquish control of the Apap Institute, which has been operating for nearly 80 years.

In the statement, it also added that the Archdiocese of Malta will be assisting the Dominican Sisters with the relocation of residents to Church and state-run homes and seeking alternative employment for staff.

Shortly after the story was published, several relatives contacted Times of Malta, saying they had not received assistance in finding alternative accommodation for their loved ones.

They said they were called in for a meeting on Monday and told, by a Curia representative, that the home would shut down by the end of the year. They were then handed a list of homes for the elderly with telephone numbers, and a form to fill in.

“All they told us was that they would help ‘as far as they could’ but they did not give a guarantee,” one relative woman said.

Another added: “They gave us three months. This is not enough time to rehome a puppy, let alone an elderly person who has formed bonds with staff and other residents at the home.”

Another woman said: “It is not true that we are being helped to relocate our elderly loved ones. We have been left to find alternative accommodation for them ourselves. Besides the fact that we too are not young, this is going to be a trauma for them or worse. We are extremely anxious about this situation.”

Many agreed that, while they understood that the nuns were ageing and they might need to close the home, this could have been planned better.

“Surely the fact that the nuns were growing older was known to everyone years ago. So why so suddenly?” one woman said, adding that what was so confusing was the fact that the home had invested in installing air conditioning in all rooms this year.

In reaction to their comments, a Curia spokesperson said that the Apap Institute is managed by the Dominican Sisters and not by the Archdiocese. The new leadership of the Dominican Sisters decided to discontinue their service there and to close the residence for senior citizens.

“As previously mentioned, the Archdiocese will seek to accommodate as many residents as possible and has been in contact with government authorities to explore alternatives for those who cannot be accommodated,” the spokesperson said.

As for the future of the building, she said the Archdiocese will assess the future use of the Apap Institute building to determine how it can best benefit the community, as it had done with other properties, including Dar Saura in Rabat, which was recently donated to the Malta Trust Foundation, and the Adelaide Cini Institute in St Venera, which was gifted to Hospice Malta in 2018.

Correction October 5, 2024: A previous version stated that the Curia operates the home.