My maternal grandmother is a resident at Smartcare, Dar Pinto Elderly Home, situated in Qormi.
There have been ongoing theft cases for the past year. My mother ended up having to buy a lock for grandma’s wardrobe in which all her things are now being locked up: from adult diapers to food. The theft started earlier last year when grandma told us that she found some of her adult diapers, missing. At first we found this incredulous because we thought ‘Who could take adult diapers?’ But then, mum started taking note and monitoring this and it happened that this was the case. We think that the diapers are being stolen to be given to other elderly residents, when these diapers are personally provided by my family. In the meantime, even sweets and food that grandma’s visitors take her, started to go missing.
The latest climax was that her small wallet in which she had €5 coins, went missing too. My grandma used to keep these coins for when they are taken to mass.
We hoped that at one point this theft would stop, but it has become an ongoing thing.
My grandmother is not the only elderly resident who is having personal items being stolen. Other elderly residents and their family members are complaining and filing reports of the same kind. For example, another elderly resident had €30 stolen.
My grandmother now cannot even keep stuff in her small refrigerator, for fear that they would also be stolen.
Needless to say, this is disgusting and abuse on the elderly. Whereas she used to keep some everyday stuff she might need, like adult diapers, beside her bedside small cabinet and bed, for easy access, since she suffers from severe arthritis which makes it difficult for her to stand up from her bed and walk, now everything is being kept locked up in her wardrobe.
It is thought that personal items are going missing when they are taken down to have breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It is already disgusting that in this elderly home, there are only three Maltese workers with the rest of the healthcare workers being Indian and Pakistani, with whom the elderly cannot communicate because of the language barrier. Now, we have their personal stuff going missing.
My mother has been filing complaints. She even went to Castille as we had enough. So are other family members, who by the way, have had fingers pointed at for this theft. Insulting to say the least. Family members have a short two hour visiting time and they spend it by their loved one. They surely do not go around in rooms stealing!
This site is asking the local health authorities and ministry of Active Ageing, to see to the matter and see that the culprit or culprits are caught.