The aged : a case-study of the Santa Lucia community

Abstract

Our generation may sometimes look upon the elderly with lack of respect and sympathy. In practice, this implies that the elderly are sometimes portrayed as rather outdated members of society who have little to contribute and who are a burden to society itself. The purpose of this dissertation is to bring to the limelight the real issues confronting the elderly in a modern community. I wish to record that this survey could not have materialized without the warm and candid cooperation of the elderly respondents who have so willingly, generously and spontaneously answered to the questions put to them. I am also grateful to all those who have spurred me on by their encouragement and help and I express my special thanks to Principal Welfare Officer of the Centru Hidma Socjali, Mr. Alfred Zammit Montebello, B.A. (Hons.), M.Ed., A.B.Ps.S., for giving his support to the work; Fr. Charles Cordina, the parish priest of Sta. Lucia community for his help throughout the interviews; Mr. Michael Galea, D.P.A., a great friend of mine, who encourage me in my work and offered me his guidance. I am particularly indebted to my tutor, Dr. Mario Vassallo, B.A., Lic.D., D.Phil. (Oxon), for his stimulating criticism and constructive suggestions during my field work and in writing this dissertation.