People aged over 75 and living alone are to become automatically eligible to two hours of home-help service per week, the government announced on Thursday.

Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis said the need for approval by the Home Help Allocation Board is being waived. 

The  Home Help service is aimed at enabling elderly persons and those with a disability to continue to live in their own homes independently. Helpers assist the beneficiaries with domestic chores, shopping and preparation of light meals.

Parnis explained at a press conference that when beneficiaries aged over 75 ask for more than two hours of service weekly, their application will have to be considered by the board.

He said that age eligibility criteria have also been tweaked to include persons over 65 years of age; persons under the age of 65 years holding a Special Identity Card issued by the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) and
applicants who suffer from a serious illness. Applicants with need to be assessed by a healthcare professional in order to ensure that this service is being given to those who are truly in need.

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