The official opening of the Mother Teresa wards at St Vincent de Paul Residence (SVPR) is the latest milestone along the path being pursued to align the residents with the highest standards of a modern nursing home, the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Care of the Elderly said.
The beds in wards within the Mother Teresa block have been increased. However, the number of beds in each room has been reduced, thus increasing the amount of space available for every resident. This has been made possible by the three-storey structure of the new block that replaced the two-floor layout of the old building.
The secretariat said the increase in the bed complement within SVPR is aimed at countering the ever-growing waiting lists.
All the rooms within the new block are ensuite, a feature that will benefit all residents especially those suffering from incontinence.
The space reserved for the staff working in the wards has also been upgraded, with six staff rooms, six offices and three nursing stations.
Despite the very high capacity of this geriatric structure, demand has exceeded supply in recent years as a result of the rising number of senior citizens living to a very old age and the advances in geriatric science that have considerably extended the longevity of residents at SVPR.
The new wards have been designed in such a way as to enhance the level of personal comfort experienced by each individual resident.
Seen from outside, the new block has modern and highly attractive architecture that blends in beautifully with the more traditional setting of the square, where the residents can spend their time sitting on benches next to trees, and the church, currently being restored, which together recreate the ambience of a local village, the secretariat said.
Built late in the 19th century, a number of wards within this mammoth geriatric structure were run down until a few years ago. Others, though more hospitable, still left much to be desired, the secretariat said.
A process of modernisation of the complex started reversing the negative trend some years ago. The newly-built Serenity wards were opened in 2001, followed by the Padre Pio wards, also a fresh construction, in 2003.
The secretariat said the main factor behind the ongoing drive to modernise SVPR was the increasingly active role senior citizens had come to play in Maltese society by the end of the last century.
The secretariat said the physical rejuvenation of SVPR is but one part of the modernisation process that is gradually unfolding. The other part consists in moving away from ingrained institutional practices to a more flexible and person-centred approach.
Only once this is accomplished will SVPR have really shed its past, the secretariat said.