Plethora of excuses for the elderly in Gozo

I refer to the recent response to my letter from Miriam Muscat, Ministry for Gozo (Plethora Of Services For The Elderly In Gozo, October 17). While I thank Ms Muscat for her extended reply, I have to protest that she has not answered my original question: "Why are there numerous care homes for the elderly on Malta and none in Gozo?"

Ms Muscat is herself misinformed when she implies that the care wards situated within the General Hospital are an acceptable substitute.

They are clearly not. As can be seen in Malta and throughout Europe, patients who are mobile and reasonably independent should be allowed to spend their days in an appropriate environment, either in their own homes with help, or in dedicated care homes.

Furthermore, it is wrong to assume that hospital nurses trained to look after the sick would always be available to spend quality time with those who were not ill, but simply needed individual emotional help and support.

Care homes are just that, an environment similar to an actual home, where the individual can lead as normal a life as possible, maintaining the self-respect and dignity that they would have enjoyed for the previous 60 years or so.

In regards to the homes run by religious communities, I am given to understand that there are a total of less than 30 residents in these three homes which are only available to females.

The services offered by the ministry to keep the elderly in their own homes I do not dispute, but Ms Muscat must understand that these services should be run alongside care homes - not in place of them.

In regards to Ms Muscat's last paragraph, where she claims that she has proved that there exists no comparative unfair treatment between the elderly living on the two islands, perhaps then she might like to take a short journey to the brand new home, opened in Mellieħa earlier this year at a cost of €10 million.

Lastly, Ms Muscat states that the number of elderly currently living in Gozo totals 22 per cent or 7,000. That fact alone should mean that Ms Muscat needs to take this matter seriously and be more open to suggestions. This problem will only grow in the future.