Day after day, we meet various people from different walks of life, with different cultures and habits at work and in our social life. One of the most common topics that people speak about nowadays is how dementia has hit one of their family members.

Dementia, just like any other illness, brings about fear, anxiety, and sadness in our families. As relatives, we feel completely lost about what we can do to help our relatives or friend. I too experienced these feelings when a member of my family was diagnosed with dementia. It is indeed a very painful moment and, in these circumstances, the world does feel like collapsing.

Reaching out is the most important factor in such situation. Help and assistance has improved a lot over the past years, not only for the person who is suffering from dementia but also for his or her relatives. All stakeholders in the social field have come together to improve the quality of life of our elderly who suffer from dementia.

In the past weeks, I had the opportunity to meet a resident, a mother, in one of our Homes and who suffers from dementia. I could see and feel the pain the daughter goes through every single day, due to the fact that her mother does not recognize her. It is indeed very painful, as even my family member didn’t recognize her children visibly. This is a reality of many of our families. A reality where the family of our loved ones become the staff that take care of them daily.

This is what we try to do at CareMalta, create a family-like environment through our ways of taking care of our Elderly. We keep the Elderly at the centre of our care and everything else works towards providing a better quality of life, to make it less tough for the resident and their relatives. We show our compassion, while we engage with the resident to keep him/her active as well as with their loved ones. Our staff go through intensive training to be able to provide the best service every single day.

To the loved ones of those persons who are suffering from dementia, keep on visiting them, never leave them alone. Deep down, they know it is you. A whisper, a touch, or a kiss is all that is needed for a parent to recognize that it is you. Our parents can take the place of everyone, but no one can take their place.

At CareMalta, this is not just our job, but it’s our way of life, to provide a better quality of life to our residents who suffer from dementia.

About CareMalta’s CEO, James Sciriha

In February 2022 James Sciriha was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of CareMalta to replace Natalie Briffa Farrugia, who replaced her father, Nazzareno Vassallo as Vassallo Group Chairperson.

James Sciriha first joined the group in 2001 as a student worker whilst studying at University. In 2010, he rejoined the company as a Group Financial Controller after working, specializing and gaining experience in funds and securitization both locally and overseas with an international audit firm (Deloitte) for 3 years. He was appointed Director of Finance at CareMalta on 1st January 2017. 

James holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Accountancy (Hons) degree from the University of Malta, and a Diploma in Fund Administration from the University of Manchester. He won a prestigious award by the Institute of Financial Services as an overall excellent student in 2010 and the John Earland Prize Fund award in 2010 supported by the Central Bank of Malta.

During his tenure at CareMalta Group, other than having a leading role in Finance, James has been involved in a number of projects; namely the winning of Zammit Clapp tender, the extensions of Casa Arkati, Dar il-Madonna tal-Mellieha, Zejtun Home and Zammit Clapp; the opening of Casa San Poalo and Casa Marija, the refurbishment of Villa Messina, HILA Homes projects, and the opening of LiveLife; being the first private rehabilitation centre in Malta. James also served as a Director of  Hand in Hand Malta Limited, a company offering therapeutical services for children with challenging behaviours, and led the CareMalta Group live in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.