St Vincent de Paul home to be extended to cater for younger residents

€18 million will be invested in an extension to the home for the elderly, which will be completed by 2020

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat making the announcement at St Vincent De Paul
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat making the announcement at St Vincent De Paul

The St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly will be extended through an €18 million investment, in order for it to better cater for young residents.

The Narcis project, will be completed by 2020, and will intended for people aged between 19 and 59.    

The announcement, made at the home, featured two young residents, Matthew and Clayton, who spoke about their experiences at the elderly residential home.

“The problem is that besides being isolated from people my own age, the activities held at the residence were targeted towards elderly patients,” Matthew said.

Narcis Project aims to cater for those with debilitating illnesses and conditions that have taken up residency at St Vincent De Paul for temporary care and rehabilitation.

Clayton and Matthew sharing their experiences at St Vincent De Paule
Clayton and Matthew sharing their experiences at St Vincent De Paule

“These young patients come with completely different needs—psychologically, physically and emotionally,” Disability Parliamentary Secretary Anthony Agius Decelis said.

The project will feature new lounges, rehabilitation areas, a wellbeing facility, a hydro-therapy bath and a networking facility.

Agius Decelis added that the project would integrate St Vincent De Paul’s ability to provide care and Agenzija Support’s ability to cater for social issues.

“The surplus that our country is making is a surplus for people,” Agius Decelis said, adding that it was time for Malta to let go of a “silo mentality” and to have different sectors of society working together.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat made some concluding remarks at the press conference and said that this is a small project that would cater for just 16 people.

“This project gives me hope because it’s significantly showing that we’re not looking at numbers here but at concepts,” Muscat said, adding that ideally every person with a complex and debilitating condition would be living in his own home within the community.