There is an urgent need for home care regulations to be introduced for elderly people who do not want to resort to residential homes but opt for personal care to retain their independence, a care manager has said.

As long as no standards for domiciliary care are set and implemented, there would be no legis-lative body to safeguard people’s rights when they make use of carers, Sharon Martinelli, care manager for Caremark, a British franchise home care provider, said.

“In Malta we have no regulatory body and no legislation to go by ... active ageing is the way forward, and policy makers need to acknowledge this,” Ms Martinelli, who has been working in the community for over 27 years, said at a seminar for NGOs at Msida.

She stressed that the concept of home care is still very much unknown in Malta, because community service is still in its infancy.

Sometimes elderly people don’t need someone to cook for them or run errands – but someone to watch the world go by with

“There’s much need for education and awareness, and not just with the general public but with policy makers.”

Irishwoman Mari Collyer, who supervises care workers for the Malta branch, said that in the UK and Ireland home care has long been entrenched in the health sector and is even funded by the National Health Service. “The idea is that care is not made available only when there is a crisis, but that care can help you live a good life and prevent a crisis,” she said.

She cited the story of an elderly Maltese man who now goes to the beach every day, with his shorts rolled up, enjoying an ice cream and a bit of sun.

He had been shutting himself up and slowly spiralling into a depression, but having a care worker to share his morning with has made all the difference. “Sometimes elderly people don’t need someone to cook for them or run errands – they need someone with whom to watch the world go by.”

Brand manager Maria Cassar said that in the UK, home care is subsidised because it could eventually prevent more expens-ive hospital treatment.

“Also, why should it be a luxury to die in your own home?” she questioned.

Home care systems usually provide care for whatever clients – “ageing from 7 to 94” – need. Services vary from personal and emotional care to domestic needs and can be offered for an hour a week or on a live-in basis.

“Some elderly people are very happy to live in homes and enjoy dining with 50 people a day, others do not,” Ms Cassar said.

The concept of home care – which is comparable in price – gives people a choice and the possibility to keep on living in their own homes.