Contact Persons: Dr Kathleen England

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study is to assess the needs of older adults within the community. This national survey amongst the elderly population resident in Malta, aged 75+ is the first of its kind to be conducted in Malta.

AIMS

The aim of the survey is to collect data on quality of life, namely relating to:

morbidity and degree of impairment,
availability of personal, familial and community resources for care giving,
social isolation and
demand for long term services and community care.
This will provide a clearer picture of the growing needs of the Maltese 75+ elderly population. This will guide public health policy and other service stakeholders to take concrete actions to support the population for better health and social services.

THE PROJECT TEAM

Dr Alexandra Distefano, Mr Anthony Spiteri, Ms Audrey Galea, Ms Cecilia Mangion, Ms Deborah Stoner, Ms Desirée D’Amato, Dr Dorianne Farrugia, Ms Dorothy Gauci, Ms Emenda Moore, Mr Joseph Cassar, Ms Ketevan Glonti, Mr Louis Xuereb, Ms Marianne Gauci, Ms Maryanne Mallia, Dr Neville Calleja, Ms Pauline Belia, Dr Roberto Debono and Mr Stephen Buhagiar.

METHODOLOGY

The sample was drawn from a population register maintained by the NSO. The sample population consisted of 9400 Maltese residents aged 75 years and older. A weighted stratified random sample was drawn, stratifying by region, age and gender. Thus this sample is representative of the 75+ population. The survey focused on elderly participants living in the community, and therefore 7824 elderly individuals were eligible to participate.

The survey tool adapted for this study is the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS) conducted in the United States by the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) in collaboration with Duke University. In addition, the questionnaire was designed for use by proxies. This tool was adapted accordingly to the cultural and social aspects of the Maltese population as well as to address the difference in the health care system in Malta when compared to the United States. The questionnaire addressed topics such as morbidity, degree of impairment, available assistance and demand for long term care and community based services. An additional module, the Lubben Social Network Scale was added to measure social isolation. Consultations with internal stakeholders in the elderly sector on the relevance and/or addition of the questions were carried out. The screener questionnaire was tested on a small number of typical respondents and underwent the process of peer review.

The survey was carried out through a 10-minute telephone survey throughout the months of July through December 2012. A group of 20 specifically trained university students conducted the telephone interviews. A computer assisted interviewing (CAPI) technique was used to assist in data collection. Most telephone calls were held in the morning and late afternoon with a maximum of 3 attempts per person to ensure maximum participation. Where contact with the elderly could not be established, a self-completed questionnaire was sent by post. Proxy interviews were carried out only in case of physical, mental or cognitive disability and other valid reasons. The overall response rate during this phase was 76.8%.

FINAL REPORT

The final report of the survey on the Needs Assessment for the Elderly in Malta can be downloaded by clicking the link below:

Needs Assessment of the Elderly in Malta

ERRITA CORRIGE: Figures 13, 14 and 15 have been replaced. The downloadable PDF document has been amended accordingly on the 31 January 2014.