An upgraded version of a scheme offering home care to the elderly will significantly cut waiting lists, the organisation that offers the service has said.
The Home Help Service offers assistance to older people and those with special needs to do their shopping and home chores for €2.33 a week.
However, those applying for the service are languishing on waiting lists of up to six months.
Renzo de Gabriele, the CEO of Active Ageing, which provides the assistance, said it had been improved to offer "a more efficient service" and that waiting times will be reduced to two months.
The number of staff processing the applications has been increased and they have met with contractors to address the issue of a shortage of carers.
In addition to that, they have changed certain regulations so that those over 80 years old will automatically be entitled to two hours assistance a week.
Similarly they are offering people with injuries immediate service while their application is being assessed.
Choose your own carer
The service also allows people the option of choosing a carer of their choice, at a rate of €5.50 an hour.
Minister for Social Solidarity Michael Falzon who also addressed the event, said that one in five people are over 65 years old and it is essential to ensure that the services offered them were working well.
"It is so important not just to throw money at the issue but to make sure the services we are offering are really improving the lives of people," he said.
A lot of money was spent on the elderly each year but this should not be seen as an expense but an investment, he added.
Problems with non-Maltese speaking carers
Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing Silvio Parnis added that the authorities could not address the challenges facing the elderly without addressing the challenges faced by people taking care of them.
One of the issues that needed to be dealt with urgently was the discrepancies in rights and conditions between carers who are contracted and those who work for the government, he said.
He also underlined the problems in communication that were raised when foreign workers were employed to care for Maltese speaking people.
He pledged to make it more attractive to Maltese people to take up the profession.
"I believe that if we offer better conditions, more Maltese are going to elect to do this kind of work and that will work to solve the communication issues that are present today."