The Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care, Mario Galea on a visit to the Activity Centre of St Vincent de Paul Residence, said that “dementia is a priority for the Government and during this legislature the Government has worked effectively in this field. The Government is working on a national plan for dementia which amongst other objectives aims to raise awareness of the condition and where possible, to diagnose the conditions at earlier stages of the dementia process.”

The activity centre caters for senior citizens who suffer from dementia by organizing a number of activities. The Activity Centre at St. Vincent de Paul Residence welcomes more than a hundred elderly weekly.

Mario Galea said that “several policies mentioned in this national plan are already underway. He also added that currently the government is receiving applications for medicines to be included into the formulary of drugs for dementia care.”

He also announced that “the Secretariat through the Department of Elderly and Community Care will be sponsoring two nurses to further their studies on dementia at post-graduate level at the University of Stirling. The distance learning course will commence in August 2012 and runs until June 2013.”

Mario Galea said that several initiatives were taken by the Government in the field of dementia in the past years and these include:

• The €9 million investment in the setting up of block John Paul II in St Vincent de Paul that for the first time provided dementia friendly wards

• The €2 million investment in the setting up of the St. Jeanne Antide Geriatric Wards at Attard.

• 130 people working in the field of the elderly received training from the University of Stirling on new methods of dementia care

• A new ward of twelve beda at Zammit Clapp Nursing Home for dementia clients

• Courses for carers who work in nursing and elderly homes aimed at keeping them updated about dementia care.

• Setting up of a memory clinic within Rehabilitation Hospital Karin Grech where people suffering from dementia are referred by their respective doctor

• Together with the Malta Dementia Society, the Secretariat set up the helpline for the public: 2208 1826

•The book In-Nannu Nesa x’Jisimni written by Trevor Zahra and illustrated by CS Lewis which was distributed in Government, Church and Independent schools.

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