His sense of adventure in sports has diminished but he still manages to share his sporting memories with other residents at Casa San Poalo. Mario Meli, who is now 83 years old, joined Casa San Paolo about a year ago.
Mario is an ex-sports broadcaster and journalist, with a sterling career dating back to 1962 when he joined the then Rediffusion, now the Public Broadcasting Services Malta. His sterling career saw him anchoring an array of Sports programmes on television and having the opportunity to interview several international sports personalities. He sat on the committee of several local sports associations and served as an executive member of the Maltese Olympic Committee. His latest initiative was the foundation of the Masters Football Malta established in 2013.
Now retired, also due to health reasons, Mario spends his days surrounded by new friends at Casa San Paolo. “It is hard to leave your family, but I needed specialised care and unfortunately it was getting very hard for my wife to take constant care of me. I must say that the staff is very friendly and most of all dedicated and they helped me find a new sense of community”.
Even though Mario has mobility issues, due to his health condition, he still manages to keep himself busy. It is a must for him to watch the news and read the newspapers every day, especially the sports sections. Like in any other CareMalta facility, the residents at Casa San Paolo are given the opportunity to engage in activities and events and Mario is surely one of them, contributing also to the organisation of the events, especially from the logistics side of the event.
Mario’s family involvement is vital for his well-being and this aspect is something that CareMalta encourages. The engagement of family members and friends in their loved one’s care is crucial to the resident’s journey in a facility to enhance their quality of life while fostering a deeper sense of belonging to a family within a community.