4 troisi-prague 2012 ifa

IFA 11th Global Conference on Ageing Prague,
Czech Republic, May 28-June 1, 2012

MULTI-SECTORAL EDUCATION IN
THE FIELD OF AGEING: THE
MALTESE EXPERIENCE

Professor Dr. Joseph TROISI
Director
International Institute on Ageing
United Nations-Malta

Population ageing poses unique challenges to
every society.
It has profound effects on every aspect of
individual, community, national and
international life. The significant increase in
life expectancy unavoidably implies not only
a heightened demand for existing support
services but also for new services and
alternative approaches.

Joseph TROISI, International Institute on Ageing, UN-Malta

Consequently, new approaches to medical
care and the delivery of social and
economic services are needed. The non-
achievement of such standards would
result in dire consequences including
unnecessary suffering and prolonged
dependence among the older persons
involved.


A very serious deficiency being faced by
many countries, especially in the
developing world, in the economic,
social and health planning to meet the
challenges of population ageing is the
pronounced scarcity of trained
caregivers.


As was emphasised in the Madrid
Plan of Action on Ageing itself and in
various UN General Assemblies, the
very implementation of the Plan
fundamentally requires two essential
facets which though distinct are
intrinsically related.


These are: national capacity building
and the mainstreaming of ageing into
national development policies and
programmes on ageing.


The report of the Secretary-General entitled
Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on
Ageing delivered at the sixty-first session of
the General Assembly in 2006, highlights the
fact that the existence of national plans of
action, programmes and services, although
important, are not by themselves effective
indicators of a country’s implementation of
the recommendations of the Madrid Plan.


These depend fully on the individual
country’s human capacity to implement
and oversee these policies and
programmes. Capacity building is thus
aimed at strengthening the country’s
ability to meet these needs in various
sectors be they economic, legal, medical,
political, social, etc.


One of the five essential elements of
national capacity building highlighted in
the Secretary-General’s report, in the
light of the recommendations of the
Madrid Plan of Action, is Human
Resource Development which
“encompasses investment in training for
the acquisition of skills in crucial areas of
expertise”. It is seen as the key element of
any effort made at capacity-building.


Although in many countries the need for
training in the fields of geriatrics and
gerontology has been recognised, this
recognition has not yet been translated
into action as one would have expected.


When referring to education and
training in the various aspects of ageing,
there is the danger of restricting them to
high levels of specialisation given at
universities resulting in the production
of geriatricians and gerontologists.


In short it can be said that education
in the field of ageing needs to be
multi-sectoral in nature covering: 1)
levels of specialisation for the
professionals; 2) those who directly
work in the field of ageing or/and
with older persons; and 3) the older
persons themselves.


The Madrid International Plan of Action
on Ageing 2002 constantly reiterated, in
various articles, the importance of
training and of having trained
personnel. Issue 4 in the Second Priority
Direction is totally devoted to the
training of care providers and health
professionals.


Article 82 states “there is an urgent
worldwide need to expand educational
opportunities in the fields of geriatrics
and gerontology for all health
professionals who work with older
persons and to expand educational
programmes on health and older
persons for professionals in the social
service sector”.


However, the same Plan emphasises the
fact that the need of education and
training is not only limited to the health
professionals and the formal carers but
should be open to all and at all levels.
Moreover, because of the multi-faceted
nature of aging, the two Plans of Action
emphasise the need of developing multi-
disciplinary and inter-disciplinary
education and training programmes.


A number of countries stand today at a
critical turning point for confronting the
challenges and issues generated by the
rapidly growing older population. In
order to meet the special needs of this
phenomenon adequately, training of
personnel has become a major issue that
needs to be tackled with urgency, lest
events overtake history.


For a number of years, Malta has been
playing a very important role in the field of
ageing.
In fact in 1969, a resolution tabled by the
Maltese government to consider the
phenomenon of population ageing as a global
phenomenon and to give it priority
consideration was unanimously accepted by
the UN General Assembly at its twenty-
fourth session.

Malta’s role in instigating the
international community’s concern
about the world’s ageing population
found its fruition in the first World
Assembly on Ageing in 1982


The First World Assembly on Ageing,
and the ensuing Vienna International
Plan of Action on Aging, the United
Nations General Assembly, in its
Resolution 37/51 recommended ‘inter
alia’ the promotion of training and
research, as well as the exchange of
information and knowledge in order to
provide an international basis for social
policies and action.


International Institute on Ageing, United
Nations-Malta (INIA)
As a result of its Resolution 1987/51, the UN
Economic and Social Council recommended
to the Secretary-General, the establishment of
the International Institute on Aging (INIA).
On the 9th October 1987, the United Nations
signed an agreement with the Government of
Malta to establish the Institute as an
autonomous body under the auspices of the
United Nations.

The Institute was inaugurated on the
15th April 1988 by the then UN
Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Javier
Perez de Cuellar.


Its mandate is tripartite in nature namely: 1)
To train personnel from developing countries
who are working or who intend to work in the
field of ageing or with older persons; 2) To
provide advocacy to developing countries in
matters concerning capacity building
concerning ageing and older persons; and 3)
To act as a practical bridge between developed
and developing countries in the area of
information exchange in the field of ageing.


Activities

 Training and Capacity Building
 Networking
 Research
 Publications
 International Meetings and Fora


Training and Capacity Building

Main Activity – 3 phases

 Training in Malta
 ‘In-Situ’ programmes
 Satellite Centres


INIA provides multi-disciplinary education
and training by annually running, in Malta,
short-training programmes of two weeks’
duration in
Social Gerontology,
Economic and Financial Aspects of Ageing,
Health Promotion, Quality of Life and Well-
being
Policy Formulation, Planning, Implementation
of MIPAA
Demographic Aspects of Population Ageing


Almost 2,100 persons working in the
field of ageing from 151 countries all
over the world benefitted from the
capacity building programmes held in
Malta.


In 1995, INIA started running ‘in situ’
training programmes. Aware of the great
heterogeneity which exists in the field of
ageing and among older persons
themselves, these are tailored to the
specific needs and situations of the older
persons in each of the countries or regions
concerned.


During the past 16 years such training
programmes have been carried out in the
following 24 countries.


Almost 1,700 participants benefitted
from these ‘in situ’ programmes. The
participants in the ‘in situ’
programmes tend to be not only more
homogenous but also more familiar
with the national or local situations.


In order to be better equipped in
implementing its mandate in human
resource developing and training in the
field of ageing, INIA has set up five
satellite centres in China, in India for the
seven SARC countries, in Singapore for
the ten ASEAN countries, in
St.Petersburg for the countries of Central
and Eastern Europe and in Tunisia for
the Maghreb countries.


INIA also provides advocacy to
governments to help them in formulating
and implementing national and local
policies and programmes in the field of
ageing. Such a service has been provided to
the governments of Bahrain, Croatia,
Egypt, India, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman,
Pakistan and Tunisia.


To implement its UN given mandate, INIA
closely collaborates with various UN bodies
and agencies, the United Nations Regional
Commissions, etc. INIA’s collaborative
partners also include other international and
national organisations, universities and non-
governmental organisations.


The Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics,
University of Malta
Education in the field of ageing needs to be
multi-sectoral in nature covering:
Levels of specialisation for the professionals;
Those who directly work with older persons;
The older persons themselves


In line with the Vienna International
Plan of Action on Ageing, Malta once
again was at the forefront and, in 1986,
set up within its University, one of the
oldest in the Mediterranean, the Institute
of Gerontology aimed at providing multi-
disciplinary academic education and
research in the field of ageing.


Following its mandate, it conducts
 postgraduate multi-disciplinary
academic education:
 in-service programmes for carers of
older persons;
 pre-retirement programmes;
a University of the Third Age;
the running of a radio programme to
promote the quality of life of older
persons and to educate the general
public.

Postgraduate multi-disciplinary
programmes leading to a Master (M.Ger.)
and a Doctorate in Gerontology &
Geriatrics (Ph.D.Ger.). These academic
programmes provide opportunities for
correlation of theory and practice,
experience in innovative practice, service
planning and delivery.


In-Service training programmes The
government of Malta firmly believes
that para-professionals and primary
care workers should have the necessary
knowledge, skills and attitudes to
facilitate good care namely concern,
treatment of older persons in their
localities.


To meet this need the Institute
initiated two-weeks intensive
programmes for all those working
in the care of Older persons in the
formal sector. Each programme
consists of lectures, discussions and
site visits.


Pre-Retirement Programmes In 1997,
the Institute set up pre-retirement
programmes aimed at enabling workers
in the public and private sector who will
be retiring from active employment to
prepare themselves to a new style of life,
socially, economically, psychologically,
health wise, etc.


Each programme normally consists of
between 14-16 sessions each of two
hours duration. Every session is made
up of an animated lecture and a
discussion.
Participants are encouraged to play
an active role.


University of the Third Age (U3A) One of
the very effective modern forms of
participation of older persons in the process
of development is the establishment of the
Universities of the Third Age. It was
precisely in this light that in January 1993
the Institute of Gerontology set up the
University of the Third Age in Malta.


The aim of the U3A is knowledge for its
own sake. It does not ask for special
qualifications for enrolment nor does it
grant any certificates or diplomas.
Membership is open to all those above
the age of 60. Members come from all
walks of life.


Radio Programme. In January 1993, the
Institute was requested by the Maltese
Public Broadcasting Services Corporation
to produce and present a weekly one hour
educational programme for one of the
national radio stations.


In its own way this radio programme which
has an overall holistic approach is bringing
about a change in perspective.
On the one hand, it is helping older persons
to improve their quality of life and well-
being.
On the other hand, it is promoting a positive
image of older persons eradicating negative
stereotypes and attitudes of the general
public.

The gap between the projected increases
of the older population and the
consequently required services,
combined with the parallel development
of the personnel needed to carry out
these services, creates a pressing and
urgent need to train appropriate staff.


The challenges ahead of us, especially in the
coming thirty years are huge. Our work is a
drop in the ocean. However, we are very
optimistic that together we can surely help
countries to prepare themselves to meeting
the challenges of population ageing by
implementing the Priority Directions of the
Madrid International Plan of Action on
Ageing.


4 troisi-prague 2012 ifa

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