Malta's first night shelter for the elderly has opened its doors to welcome those who fear sleeping alone and end up in old people's homes just because of that.
The shelter is housed in the Żejtun Jesus of Nazareth convent and is a pilot project in partnership with the sisters of the missionary congregation, who are running it.
The idea is to support the elderly to continue living a socially-integrated and active life in the community. Unfortunately, many feared being burgled or falling ill when they were alone at night, said Stephanie Xuereb, director of the Elderly and Community Care Department.
"Not everyone wants to be a burden on their family members and oblige them to spend the night with them and some do not even have relatives to turn to for that," she said. The situation was forcing some into long-term care, increasing the degree of institutionalisation, which should be avoided, Dr Xuereb said.
Customer care officials often encountered such situations when elderly made enquiries about long-term care, she said.
A dormitory in the convent has, therefore, been converted into eight private bedrooms, including a lounge area, with kitchenette, storage and toilets for women over 60, who are independent. They should not have medical problems as this was not a nursing home, Dr Xuereb said.
Speaking during a visit to the shelter, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly, Mario Galea said he was aware of people in homes who would spend the whole day out, tending to their fields, and then return just for the night.
Those using the shelter would be charged €2 a day and would have to commit in advance to a period of about a month while the government was forking out €5,000 to the sisters, Mr Galea said.
Applications were open and would be reviewed by an admissions board to determine whether the candidates qualified, he explained.
Once they occupied a room, it could be personalised with their own items and they could leave their belongings in locked drawers, Mr Galea said, adding that each was equipped with a buzzer so that, in case of an emergency, the occupant could call the carer for assistance.
Mr Galea said the project was an experiment and he could not say whether it would be a success but, depending on the demand, it could expand to other areas.
Plans were in the pipeline to offer the same service at the old people's home in Mellieħa, which already had the required rooms, staff and necessary facilities in place. There were also talks with the Curia to open up other convents for this aim, particularly in view of the fact that religious vocations all over were on the decline and the large buildings often turned into white elephants.
The Jesus of Nazareth Institute used to cater for about 150 children in the past and the nuns were keen to keep up their role in society and even had carers on board.
Sr Helen Delicata, mother superior of the missionary congregation of Jesus of Nazareth, said the initiative had sparked interest, particularly because the environment was pleasing and the company was appreciated.
The only issue brought up was transport, with some elderly wondering how to get to the home in winter if their families had moved away from their locality and could not give them a lift.