Life expectancy at 82 for women, 77 for men

A survey on the health status of the elderly, carried out as part of an EU-wide exercise, has found that nearly half of the elderly people in Malta view themselves as being in good health.

The survey in Malta interviewed 3,960 people.

Despite saying they were in good health, 60 per cent of respondents said they had long-standing health issues, with the highest number, 46 per cent, saying they suffered from high blood pressure. Other major health problems related to the heart, arthritis and diabetes.

39 per cent of women and 47 per cent of men aged over 85 said they had have great difficulty in seeing newspaper print even when wearing glasses

18 per cent of women reported difficulty in everyday tasks like getting in and out of bed and having a bath or shower.

Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea noted that life expectancy had risen to 82 for women and 77 for men. There are currently 60,000 people - 14 per cent of the population, who are over 65 years old, and that number is expected to rise to 71,000 in 10 years' time.

He said that that according to the indicators, people aged 65 in Malta were generally healthier than those on mainland Europe.

He said that Malta had a problem of obesity and lack of exercise.