When she introduced the Bill, Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana said the commissioner would be involved in the protection of the elderly against any neglect or exploitation.
The roles of the commissioner and the Civil Code would be clarified so that they would be complementary and not interfere with one another. Any crime would still be referred to the police and the commissioner would not get in the way of any official investigation.
Labour MP Deo Debattista called on the government to implement a number of measures to help older persons live comfortably at home and in the community. More public investment was needed to make old peoples’ residences more accessible – both on the inside and on the outside.
The government had solved the problem of out-of-stock medicines and should now implement the measure to deliver free medicine to the elderly in their own homes while also ensuring that the correct doses are taken.
Electronic surveillance of older persons in their homes and in the community would contribute to easing the pressure on hospitals and health centres.
Dr Debattista also called for the setting up of a home for the elderly in every locality so that older persons would feel more at home and remain active in familiar surroundings.
Also, financial compensation to relatives and others caring for elderly persons in their own homes needed to be increased. This would cost much less than having such persons sent to St Vincent de Paule Residence where each patient cost more than €100 daily.
Referring to government policy on active ageing, Dr Debattista said that unless told otherwise, employees who reached retirement age had to be given the choice of whether to remain in work or not. This practice should start in government departments.
Etienne Grech (PL) said the elderly would constitute more than 20 per cent of the world population by 2050, and Malta was no exception. According to the 2011 census, a quarter of the population was over 60 years old.
He referred to Pope Francis, who recently said that, though there was a need for homes for the elderly, these had to actually be homes, not places where the elderly are dumped.