The role of the elderly in society, society’s responsibility towards them and the need for more care and involvement from their families were discussed during a symposium, recently organised by CareMalta.

Stakeholders in the elderly care and active ageing sector attended the symposium, as well as the Minister for the Elderly and Active Ageing, Jo Etienne Abela, the Shadow Minister for the Elderly, Paula Mifsud Bonnici, together with Vassallo Group’s chairperson Natalie Briffa Farrugia and chief executive Pio Vassallo, and CareMalta’s chief executive James Sciriha.

Christian Borg Xuereb, head of the Gerontology and Dementia Studies Department within the Faculty of Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta, talked about how we view ourselves as tomorrow’s older persons and what we can become, while professor Pierre Mallis and Dr Maria-Aurora Fenech gave a presentation on the social role older generations play within society. They also tackled different perceptions of the elderly among society and ethical issues.

During his speech, Minister Abela threw a spotlight on dementia and elderly abuse such as financial, emotional and physical abuse and neglect.

Briffa Farrugia spoke about the need for more care and responsibility from families of the elderly. She explained that even though the elderly receive good care and medical attention in residential homes, at the end of the day they still yearn for the involvement of their family.