United Nations Chief on Ageing to headline Malta conference on future of care

As ageing populations reshape societies worldwide, governments are being forced to rethink how care is delivered, funded and sustained.

On April 16, Malta will host Amal Abou Rafeh, Chief of the Programme on Ageing at the United Nations, as a keynote speaker at A Caring Nation, a National Conference examining the future of care services.

With projections indicating that one in three people in Malta will be over 65 in the coming decades, the questions are becoming urgent. Who provides care as families shrink? How do services adapt to rising dementia diagnoses? And what kind of system does Malta want to build for the future?

This national conference organised by Healthmark and the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations–Malta (INIA) will bring together policymakers, healthcare professionals, economists, students and industry leaders to confront one of the biggest challenges facing our country: the future of ageing services.

Held at Xara Lodge, the conference will explore four radically different futures for care in Malta. From technology-driven smart monitoring, to a community-led model built on intergenerational solidarity; from a scenario of overwhelmed services and system strain, to a tightly regulated, state-controlled approach to caregiving.

The question is: which path will Malta choose?

Among the keynote speakers:

• Amal Abou Rafeh, Chief of the Programme on Ageing at the United Nations in New York, placing Malta’s challenges within a global context
• Patrick Barbara, Consultant Psychiatrist within the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing, addressing the local pressures already being felt
• Chris Meilak, economist at EY, presenting a foresight-based analysis of how ageing services may evolve over the coming decades

Amal Abou Rafeh, Chief of the Programme on Ageing at the United Nations.

A dedicated panel on Intergenerational Solidarity will bring together university students and older adults to debate responsibility, connection and the kind of social contract Malta is willing to uphold.

The conference also features academic contributions selected through a national call for papers, covering innovation, rights-based care and active ageing policy.

“The decisions we take today will shape how we live, age and care for one another in the decades ahead. This conference will create the space and mind set for more strategic forward thinking,” says Charlotte Sant Portanier, CEO of Healthmark.

“This conference builds on recent national policy developments in active ageing and dementia care, and charts possible paths for the foreseeable future,” said Marvin Formosa, Director of the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations–Malta (INIA).

“If you work in healthcare, policy, insurance, property, technology, education, or simply care about the kind of country we are becoming, this conversation concerns you,” he added.

Early-bird tickets are available until March 15.

Sponsors for the conference include HLL, National Insurance Brokers, Medina Health, Jamesco and the Maltese Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

Early-bird tickets are available until March 15. Seats are limited and selling out fast. Secure your place at: www.showshappening.com/healthmark/a-caring-nation