Proud to represent the government
Dr Caruana is Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Ageing
No amount of sweet talking can give these people what is their due, unless it is translated into tangible facts. We walk the talk and, whether the media finds time to report it or not due to other things happening here and there, the people directly benefitting from our incessant initiatives and their families know that we mean what we say. More so when our policies and strategies are time and again positively recognised at international level.
Our work goes on
This week, the Parliamentary Secretariat was involved with further staff training courses, including a first-ever course for care workers that will be held in Gozo. We are fully aware that ministering to the elderly or persons with disabilities is not merely ordinary employment, but necessarily a service that needs basic and constant training and updating.
The professional preparation of our workers is indispensable for the service they are expected to provide. We spare no effort to give them the required support through training, while recognising their individual performance. I never tire of reiterating that their work is the brave face and kind heart of all our policies and strategies.
On the other hand, ordinary gossip around for the umpteenth week might have been dragged into the over recycled jibes through lingering and time-consuming debates of repetitive rhetoric. Government work in day-to-day decisions and actions went on with our customary commitment. Further investment and expansion for more jobs and stronger economy has been flowing in over the past week, in spite of stealthy, but not so hidden attempts, to limit the country’s normal life and performance.
Dementia - the global challenge
I started my week at the World Health Organisation in Geneva at a high level event about dementia sponsored by no less than 16 states, including Malta – in fact we were among the first prime movers of this event. In view of WHO’s Global Action against Dementia, the burden warrants additional focus in national health and development agendas, particularly in the WHO governing bodies and member states.
The need for long-term care strains health and social systems and has important economic impact. Family members have been the main responders to this need. However, the change in demographic structures makes it more challenging for families to keep taking on this task, which in turn will increase the demand on social support systems.
Malta’s initiatives
Since Malta was one of the sponsoring countries, I sat on the ministerial panel and spoke of our initiatives to create further awareness on and other projects related to dementia. Malta has committed itself to make dementia a top priority. We owe this to the ever increasing number of individuals with dementia and an even higher number of caregivers.
Last year in fact, we launched our dementia strategy which encompasses a strong commitment from all stakeholders in order to empower change. In fact, Malta was the first country to have a dementia-friendly version of its strategy document. This forms part of our vision towards a rights-based approach to dementia as are dementia-friendly communities of which a pilot study commenced this year.
A fundamental aspect of our vision is that of increasing awareness and understanding in order to reduce stigma and misconceptions about dementia. People need the right information and guidance in order to recognise the early symptoms and seek the necessary support. We published and disseminated information, including booklets for school children and others with the objectives of changing the negative perception of dementia and encourage help-seeking and timely diagnosis and guidance.
Awareness and support
Support services have been strengthened with the newly established dementia intervention team at community level and our new dementia help line 1771 – which has proved to be very useful.
We embarked on a nationwide dementia training programme to develop an able multidisciplinary workforce to ensure the provision of highquality dementia care, as well as fully-trained carers and wellinformed informal care givers. Investment in assistive technology has become a constant while we are gradually transforming our care homes to become dementia friendly in conformity with the minimum care standards, while opening new dementia day centres.
The Labour government is committed to promote the rights and dignity of all citizens, and similarly promotes the autonomy of individuals with dementia. To this effect, we introduced a body of laws to combat abuse and foster empowerment. We are determined to focus further on diagnosis and post-diagnostic support, crisis management and care coordination, together with quality of residential care and dementia-friendly communities.
The global dimension
No single nation however, can tackle dementia on its own. We need a collaborative global effort to successfully face this challenge and affect change. On behalf of my government, I invited representatives of the World Health Organization and other countries to ensure dementia is a priority on the agendas of all relevant fora.
During bilateral meetings I held with several ministers and other representatives of international bodies, there was wide understanding that benchmarking of national dementia policies and strategies help countries to learn from good practices, learn from one another and engage more effectively. It will be a constant reminder to policy makers to try to lead and innovate. Initiatives we have taken in Malta have gained widespread appreciation and I was requested to explain further about our methods in implementing our strategy.
My presence at the Geneva meeting was testament to Malta’s commitment to that agenda, but it is never enough. The meeting had to project all countries to the next tangible step – a plan of action led by the WHO, with pre-established deliverables and time frames. We need to act local but think global.
The deaf in Malta and Italy
An overseas engagement took me to Rome on Friday, where I was invited to address Italy’s National Body for the Protection and Support of the Deaf as its guest speaker at the national congress on “Universities and Deaf Students – accessibility and experiences, a comparison between Italy and other countries”. Here again the invitation was an acknowledgement of the government’s bold steps in this sector over the past months. It was indeed an honour to address a packed aula magna with academics, Deaf students, student bodies and NGOs at Rome’s Università Degli Studi.
My speech focused on all major achievements we have attained locally, explaining the rationale behind each initiative. While explaining that we have established a National Policy and currently building a fullscale national Strategy for the disability sector in general, I added that we are now focusing on various disabilities in particular.
Academics and students alike appreciated the law we have enacted to establish the sign language as an official National Language, as well as introducing simultaneous interpreters in all official venues where such service is required. I went on to explain that this has created the necessity of training more professional sign language interpreters who know they will have a guaranteed job, thus creating more employment opportunities.
Proud and head held high
The audience appreciated the Maltese government’s incessant work to transform the idea of helping persons with disability into an established concept of giving these people their rights and full dignity. There was very positive feedback on the measures we have implemented in Malta and Gozo in this sector.
It was a far cry from what local doom-and-gloom talkers say. Representing the Labour government, both in Geneva and in Rome – and in any other world capital for that matter, I felt proud and held my head high, fully aware that we are on the right track and delivering. Indeed we compare really well with what other, bigger countries are achieving in our incessant quest to have a fair and strong society.