Complaints mechanism set up for homes for the elderly

Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Justyne Caruana announces creation of new body to deal with complaints from government and private institutions for the care of the elderly

by Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Justyne Caruana
by Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Justyne Caruana

A mechanism has been set up which will focus solely on complaints put forward on conditions at government and private institutions for the care of the elderly

The announcement was made this morning by Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly, Justyne Caruana, who in recent weeks has been very critical of the state of several homes for the elderly.

The food quality, quality of care and levels of hygiene are among the main issues raised by Caruana.

In recent weeks, Caruana and the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Chris Fearne, have been carrying out unannounced visits to a number of institutions to determine the areas which need improving.

These visits have also led to reprimands against several private institutions. Sources said that following her unannounced visits, Caruana made it known to her secretariat that she plans to stamp out slackness and apathy she witnessed in both government and privately-run homes for the elderly.

Only last month the junior minister’s visit to an elderly people’s home in Msida led to the person responsible for the running of the home to be reprimanded for the poor state of the institution. 

Caruana has since her appointment chosen to follow up a plethora of complaints by the families of the elderly residents. They vary from physical abuse, theft of personal items and poor food and hygiene.

"We felt that there should be a structured mechanism in place so that persons with complaints can easily get their message across," Caruana said, adding that complaints can be submitted over the phone, online or by post.

"We have been receiving many complaints from residents themselves and their relatives. These are mostly directed at the poor quality of food offered, but we have also been told of instances were excessive physical handling of residents takes place. This is unacceptable."

The elderly are catered for by a blend of government homes with different private contractors for cleaning, cooking and care, or a combination of government and private contractors for medical and private care.

Caruana explained that the mechanism body will be made up of persons already working in the ministry's secretariat meaning that no extra expenses will be incurred.

However, for the time being the call centre will not operate on a  24-hour basis. Meanwhile, an audit team will be set up to investigate any cases brought forward and a register of carers in state-run homes will also be drafted.

The contact number for persons wishing to make such complaints is 80072367.

Caruana also announced that government will be issuing an Expression of Interest for projects comprising of community homes for disabled persons. She stressed that the emphasis will be on high standards of care. It is hoped that three such residential homes are set up by the end of the year.