The creeping prevalence of ageing societies is not just a challenge for policymakers and healthcare providers to solve. It affects everyone who has, or will have, an elder family member or loved one in their lives. Malta has one of Europe’s fastest ageing populations. Integrated care for older adults must be one of the top policymakers’ priorities.

The elderly care services provided by the public health system are quite comprehensive. Still, more needs to be done to upgrade and integrate care for older adults. Many factors influence healthy ageing. Some of these, such as genetics, are not in our control. Others are within our reach, like exercise, a healthy diet, going to the doctor regularly and taking care of our mental health.

Ageing increases the risk of chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Unfortunately, not all older adults suffering from these conditions can rely on the extended family support framework that was much more prevalent some decades ago. Yet, gerontologists urge families of older adults to keep care at home for as long as possible.

Finding care providers willing to provide care for your loved one outside a hospital setting and in the home is often challenging. The government should be lauded for offering adequate financial incentives for families to employ a caregiver for their older adults. Still, many experience bureaucratic delays to recruit suitable caregivers.

In the past several years, the recruitment of third-country nationals to fill labour market gaps was controlled lightly. Now there is a risk of over-tightening controls by vexatious administrative measures that ignore the urgency and justification of specific requests for the recruitment of third-country caregivers.

Active Aging Minister Jo Etienne Abela announced on Friday that foreign carers hired to look after the elderly will soon need to obtain a skills card, saying this would improve the quality of workers and reduce ‘bureaucracy’ in the method of employing them. Hopefully,  this will be the case. The minister also added that foreign carers will be given a basic knowledge of Maltese, which should also help, even though English remains an official language.

The government must leave no stone unturned in eradicating a number of questionable ‘agents’ and middlemen who are exploiting foreign workers before they reach Malta.

Meanwhile, unpaid caregivers dealing with older adults suffering from debilitating conditions like dementia, depression, mobility challenges or terminal illnesses need all the help they can get to cope with their responsibilities.

Policymakers must take care of the caregivers by recognising the challenges inherent in caring for older adults. They must provide resources to help caregivers stay healthy and deliver quality care. 

Whether paid or unpaid, caregivers need online support networks, opportunities to spend time away from those they care for, or rejuvenation activities to help relieve stress and tension.

The public health services need to increase resources for early assessment and diagnosis, risk reduction and prevention and management of chronic diseases for people with, or who are at risk of, cognitive decline due to dementia.

People with cognitive decline may find it hard to stay healthy or manage other chronic conditions. 

Remaining in good health as an older adult requires more than what medication and treatment alone have to offer.

An effective integrated care system for older adults can only be achieved through a coordinated multi-disciplinary approach that should include medical professionals, families and care service providers.