Who Will Care for Malta’s Older Persons Tomorrow?
A National Conference Looks Towards The Future of Ageing Services
What happens when one in three people in Malta is over the age of 65? Who will provide informal care as families shrink and demand grows? What role will technology play? And what are the consequences if no clear direction is chosen at all?
These are some of the questions that will shape discussions at A Caring Nation, a national conference examining the Future of Ageing Services in Malta, organised by Healthmark and the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations–Malta (INIA).
An expert group of keynote speakers, analyst and practitioners will also discuss the workforce delivering formal care in residential long-term care facilities and the need to cope with the envisioned increases in dementia diagnoses.
The conference will be held at Xara Lodge on April 16th and early bird tickets can be bought from showshappening.com today.
International and national experts will contribute to the discussion, including Ms Amal Abou Rafeh, Chief of the Programme on Ageing at the United Nations in New York, who will situate Malta’s challenges within a global context.
Dr Patrick Barbara, Consultant Psychiatrist within the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing will be delivering a keynote presentation, focusing on the local realities and pressures already being felt across Malta’s health and care systems.
A unique contribution will come from Mr Chris Meilak, an economist at EY, who will present a foresight-based exploration of how ageing services in Malta could evolve under different future scenarios. Rather than predicting a single outcome, his intervention will outline four contrasting futures, ranging from a technology-driven care system powered by AI and robotics, to a community-centred model built on intergenerational solidarity; from a scenario of systemic collapse and overwhelmed services, to one where caregiving becomes more tightly regulated and state-enforced.
The conference will also feature a panel on Intergenerational Solidarity: Past, Present, Future, bringing together voices from different age groups, including university students and older adults, to discuss responsibility, connection and the kind of social contract Malta is willing to uphold.
In addition, academics will present papers responding to a national call for contributions on active ageing, rights-based care, innovation and the future of ageing services.
“As we respond to the daily pressures facing ageing services, we also have a social responsibility to think long-term and ensure sustainability,” said Charlotte Sant Portanier, CEO of Healthmark. “The decisions we take today will shape how we live, age and care for one another in the decades ahead. This conference will create the space and mind set for forward thinking.”
For Marvin Formosa, Director of the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations–Malta (INIA), the conference builds on recent national policy developments in active ageing and dementia care and charts possible paths for the foreseeable future.As Malta’s population continues to age, A Caring Nation aims to move the discussion beyond regulation and service delivery, opening a broader national conversation about responsibility, resilience and the future of care.
Book your early bird tickets here today.
