I have been given the opportunity to get close to a sector which one day all of us will have to be part of - the elderly.

Around 18 years ago, the elderly were very high on the agenda of the country thanks to the innovative approach of the government in appointing a parliamentary secretary specifically for the elderly. It was around that time that I got very much involved in the roll-out of a number of services aimed at keeping the elderly in the community for as long as possible. At the same time the standard of elderly homes was taken to a higher level than it ever was.

Two decades later, I have become involved in the sector once again. I could immediately sense that the situation has taken a turn for the worse. The needs of this category of citizens have become more pressing and more complicated and costly to deal with.

Homes for the elderly are still full to the brim, as they were before, but we also have a situation where our general hospitals, particularly Mater Dei, are clogged with what we crudely call social cases.

One other notable change is the increased dependence of the elderly residents in government homes.

I remember that back in the late 1980s such homes were only taking independent elderly and we made sure to move away from the care-home concept. Today most of the residents are dependent, frail and in need of constant care. More carers and nurses need to be engaged raising the final bill sky high.

This has put more pressure on the service providers, government, Church and private. Unfortunately, the supply of residential services which are in sync with the evolving needs of the elderly has not grown to meet the growing demand. Hence the waiting lists.

In 20 years another major change has occurred in our society. The number of women who take up employment has increased. While this factor has definitely contributed to the socio-economic development of our country, it has had implications on the elderly. Today there are fewer women who are able and willing to give up their career to take care of their elderly parents.

I know it is unfair to blame this on women, when this is definitely not just a woman's job. But in reality, experience has shown that most of the caring has always been done by women. With less informal and family carers ready for the job, more pressure has been lumped onto the government.

It is true that the involvement of the private sector in this sector has grown throughout the years, but unlike what is happening in other countries, it is still largely left to operate on its own rather than with myriad PPP schemes which could alleviate the situation.

While we have been stressing the need to keep the elderly in their home, within the community, for as much as possible, I honestly feel that as a country we failed to do enough to reach this goal. It may be that that the country had other priorities to deal with, but I feel much more could have been done to strengthen the existing services such as home help.

Recently it was announced that a pilot project would be introduced aimed at providing a holistic care service to the elderly within his or her home. It is a pity we are still stuck in the piloting stage when the situation has now become very precarious.

Although I may sound pessimistic, I still feel we are still in time to do something to address the situation. But we have to act fast and in no half measures. We should just keep in mind that whatever we fail to do at the preventive stage we would have to deal with, big time, at a later stage.

A similar situation has developed in another area of healthcare.

It is an open secret that the free medicines scheme needs an urgent overhaul. Not only because the system has become unsustainable, but also because it is failing to contribute, in an effective measure, to dealing with new realities such as dementia.

This condition, or rather group of conditions, is affecting 1% of our population or around 5000. It is a very expensive condition to deal with simply because an elderly suffering from dementia can live up to 12 years. Thankfully, the onset of all the complications brought by dementia could be delayed if the necessary medicine is taken.

Unfortunately the necessary treatment is still not available for free for those who need it and cannot afford it. Such treatment may cost up to 150 euro a week!

At the same time, the state is still forking out thousands of euro in medicine, for other diseases and conditions such as diabetes, which is given, free of charge, even to those who can afford it.

It is high time we get our priorities right. For government to take such difficult decisions it would need the backing of all the stakeholders, including the Opposition. If we are to address the developing situation effectively, we need to act fast. And there is definitely no place for political bickering in the dangerous game we are playing.