74-year-old Maria Zammit Gallo is the winner of this year’s Elderly of the Year Award.

Ms Zammit Gallo daily visits the residents at the Marina Home and caters to their needs. She gives Holy Communion to the bedridden, sleeps with them when they are sick and accompanies them to hospital and gets them the medicine they require. She also feeds those who cannot eat on their own.

Before naming her the winner, Parliamentary Secretary for the Care of the Elderly Mario Galea reiterated that families should make it their priority to take care of their elderly and, as far as possible, these should remain living in the community.

However, there were circumstances when this was not possible and the government should try to assist as much as possible. However, it could never substitute families, he said.