Night shelter being set up at St Vincent de Paul

A night shelter being set up at St Vincent de Paul Residence will offer respite to seven women and four men at night time, while they continue to spend the day within their community.

The shelter will be the third building on the success of the shelters at Zejtun, which was opened in July 2010 and at Mellieha.

Night shelters provide a solution for elderly people who are afraid to spend the night on their own or who do not want to be alone at night. Each room has a buzzer so that residents can call for help.

Works that are being carried out include a new system of plumbing, a new wiring system, making bathrooms accessible for wheelchair users, a kitchen, a new water supply system and water tanks on the roof.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Care of the Elderly Mario Galea said during a visit to the shelter this morning that during the last four years his secretariat provided 630 beds for the elderly, including 375 in the private sector.