Maria Aurora Fenech, in her article, ‘Is society failing one of its greatest pillars?’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, May 26), inspired me to comment about a reality which I myself experience whenever I visit my beloved 97-year-old mother at a home for the elderly.

Fenech speaks about how these precious persons, because of the way our society is structured, are losing their autonomy and individuality. She argues: “The frail and vulnerable elderly person is ‘trapped’ within a system that does not allow them to direct their own life as freely as they would wish for. Through no choice of their own, elderly people are no longer unique individuals. In a subtle way, the elderly person is made to restructure choices and values”.

These elderly people, who are supposed to be the most appreciative and precious members of our society, are being made to surrender their individuality in order to fit in a structure that considers them more as objects rather than persons. Life has become so complicated, so selective, so impersonal that elderly persons are being looked at as a problem rather than as a means of enhancing the social dimension of our society.

How painful it is to watch these individuals communicate their helplessness and submission through their silence. Some are not even allowed to speak out their views or express their emotions because they are considered, and very often treated, as numbers rather than persons.

The elderly should not only be respected and accepted as integral members of our community but they should be treated as such. Those in authority and those who are directly responsible for running homes for the elderly should consider the elderly as individuals and give them back their autonomy.

As Fenech rightly emphasises, “The elderly must be able to pursue their beliefs, rules, thoughts and principles. Elderly people need to be helped to deal with their needs, ensuring full integration and participation”. Herein lies the hallmark of a healthy and progressive society. It is not enough that our society makes great economic strides. The gauge that measures whether our society is advanced or not should be the way our elderly people are being treated and how much autonmy, respect and individuality is given to them.