When a mum or dad is living with dementia, most families want them to stay at home for as long as it's safe and right for them. Malta has a dedicated set of government services for exactly that, run by the Dementia Care Directorate within Active Ageing and Community Care (AACC). This guide explains what each one does, who can use it and what it costs. It isn't medical advice: questions about symptoms, diagnosis or treatment belong with your parent's GP.
Start here: the GP and the 1771 helpline
The GP comes first. AACC's own advice is that "When noticing significant changes in doing daily activities, one should discuss with their General Practitioner" (source: AACC: care for people with dementia). Almost every service below also asks for a medical report signed by the GP or a consultant geriatrician, so an early appointment saves time later.
The Dementia Helpline, 1771. AACC says "The Dementia Help Line service can be accessed 24/7 for information and guidance by calling 1771" (source: AACC: care for people with dementia). It's a good first call when you don't know where to start, or when something changes and you need to talk it through.
Who runs the services. The Dementia Care Directorate was set up in 2023 under AACC. It runs the Dementia Intervention Team, the Dementia Activity Centres and the helpline, and works with NGOs and the private and voluntary sectors (source: AACC: care for people with dementia).
The Dementia Intervention Team
The Dementia Intervention Team gives "holistic community-based support" to people with dementia and the family members caring for them (source: AACC: Dementia Intervention Team).
- A home visit. The team assesses your parent's situation, and yours as a carer, in the home where your parent lives (source: AACC: Dementia Intervention Team).
- A care plan. Each plan is made for the individual, and can include "education and training; support, and advice on safety and coping strategies" for your parent and for you (source: AACC: Dementia Intervention Team).
- Follow-up. The team follows up from time to time and adapts the plan as needs change. AACC describes it as "a reference point for support" for the person and their family (source: AACC: Dementia Intervention Team).
Who can use it: your parent must have a dementia diagnosis and live in the community, not in a care home. The application needs a medical report signed by the GP or a consultant geriatrician (source: AACC: Dementia Intervention Team).
The team also assesses people for the day centres and Telecare on the Move (sources: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres; AACC: Telecare on the Move), so it's often the door to the other services.
Dementia Activity Centres
Dementia Activity Centres are day centres in localities in Malta and Gozo, designed for people living with dementia. They offer therapeutic activities run by trained staff, and they give family carers a regular break (source: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres).
- How often: "Eligible applicants will be able to attend up to 3 times a week at a Dementia Activity Centre of their choice", depending on availability (source: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres).
- Hours: "The DACs opening hours are from 06:30-18:00" (source: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres).
- Getting a place: nurses from the Dementia Intervention Team assess eligibility. Your parent and the family are then invited to an orientation visit, where the centre's coordinator sets up a care plan and you agree the days (source: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres).
- Documents: a dementia diagnosis from your parent's doctor or consultant geriatrician, and the application form with a medical report from the GP or a consultant geriatrician (source: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres).
Telecare on the Move
For a parent who likes to go out but might get lost, Telecare on the Move is a portable device "connected to a 24-hour call centre" that "will operate even outdoors". It allows two-way calls with relatives or the call centre (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).
- Who: people over 60 who are diagnosed with dementia and at risk of wandering (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).
- Cost: the device is free after an assessment by the Dementia Intervention Team. The service is free for people with a valid Pink Form from the Department of Social Security and for people over 80 (Scheme A). Otherwise it costs "a monthly fee of €4.99 (excluding VAT)", paid three months in advance (Scheme B) (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).
- Documents: a medical report signed by the GP, and a copy of the Pink Form if your parent has one (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).
For safety inside the home, AACC's standard Telecare service installs an alarm and pendant for people over 60. It needs a fixed landline, a €25 refundable deposit and €4 a month (source: AACC: Telecare). Our guide to government help at home covers it in full.
Respite for the family carer
Caring for someone with dementia is tiring, and breaks matter. AACC offers two kinds of respite.
Respite at Home. "A qualified care worker who will stay at home with the senior citizen" so the family carer can take a break, while your parent stays in familiar surroundings (source: AACC: Respite at Home). AACC lists people "Having dementia and severe cognitive and/or behavioural problems, with a tendency to become confused in an unfamiliar environment" among those it's meant for (source: AACC: Respite at Home). Packages range from a few single respite days up to a full week, 24 hours a day, up to three times a year (source: AACC: Respite at Home). CommCare assesses each case, and no cost is published, so ask AACC (source: AACC: Respite at Home).
Residential Respite. A short stay in a care home: "A maximum of 63 days of care service in a Care Home", which family carers can use three times a year (source: AACC: Residential Respite). Once approved, you can also book a bed yourself at any OPSA-licensed long-term care home and claim back "up to €72 per night" within the 63 days (source: AACC: Residential Respite).
One service that isn't suitable: AACC's Night Shelter, a safe place to sleep for older people who live alone, excludes people with "a medical condition (namely Dementia)" (source: AACC: Night Shelter).
Carers Allowance and other money
Carers Allowance. The Department of Social Security pays Carers Allowance to a relative over 18 who cares full-time for one or two relatives with low dependency in the same household, such as a parent (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance). It isn't means tested and is paid every four weeks in advance (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).
- The assessment: "A Multi-Disciplinary Board will decide whether the case falls within the medical parameters for payment of this allowance following an assessment based on the Barthel Index or the Mini-Mental State Examination" (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance). The Mini-Mental State Examination is a common test of memory and thinking.
- Increased Carers Allowance is for high dependency. "If the patient is eighty-five (85) years or older, the carer is automatically awarded Increased Carer's Allowance if it is established that the carer is really caring for the patient" (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).
- Rates: the Department publishes current rates in its Schedule of Benefits Rates, linked from the Carers Allowance page (sources: Social Security: Carers Allowance; Social Security: Increased Carers Allowance).
Carer at Home. If your parent is over 60 and employs a carer, the Carer at Home scheme pays "up to a maximum of €9,000 per year" in 2026 (source: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home). The carer must hold a recognised qualification, and the employment agreement must be authenticated by a notary (source: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home). Our Carer at Home guide explains the conditions.
Training for family carers
AACC lists two courses for family carers (source: AACC: applications and courses):
- iSupport for Dementia: a free online course designed by the World Health Organization for family members, relatives and friends caring for someone with dementia. It has five modules and "takes approximately 7 hours to fully complete" (source: AACC: applications and courses).
- Dementia Care at Home: a course for family caregivers, relatives and friends, provided by St Vincent De Paul Long Term Care Facility (source: AACC: applications and courses).
When a carer at home helps
As dementia progresses, many families find the services above cover part of the week but not all of it. A carer at home, employed by your parent or the family, can fill the gaps:
- A visiting carer for set hours: mornings, meals, outings or a few hours so you can work or rest.
- A live-in carer when your parent shouldn't be alone for long, or nights become difficult.
A live-in carer isn't on duty around the clock. Malta's domestic-service order gives a live-in worker at least three hours' rest in total every day and a weekly rest day (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order). Plan who covers those hours, and the carer's leave, before you start. Our cost guide and care options guide set out the choices.
What to ask a carer. Experience matters more than titles. Ask about times they've supported someone living with dementia: how they handled confusion or distress, how they kept a daily routine, and how they kept the person safe at home. On CarerMalta, experience and qualifications are as stated by the carer, so ask for references and check them yourself. Our interview guide has questions and checks.
A carer isn't a substitute for medical care. Medication, diagnosis and changes in health stay with your parent's GP and the Dementia Intervention Team.
When more care is needed than home can give
There may come a point when your parent needs more care than can safely be given at home. Government residential care is open to "A senior citizen who suffers from dementia", among others (source: AACC: residential care). A multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers assesses each applicant, including "Difficulties arising from cognitive impairment", and advises on the level of care needed (source: AACC: residential care).
Residential Respite (above) can be a gentler first step for your parent and the family. Our guide to choosing between a live-in carer, a visiting carer and a care home compares the options and their costs.
If you decide to look for a carer, browse home care and live-in carer profiles, or post a job with the hours and arrangement using the button below.
Sources we checked
Every figure and rule in this guide links to the official page it comes from. We re-check them when the rules or the Budget change.
- AACC: care for people with dementia, page updated 3 Aug 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Dementia Intervention Team, page updated 10 Dec 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Dementia Activity Centres, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Telecare on the Move, page updated 6 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Respite at Home, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Residential Respite, page updated 6 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Night Shelter, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: applications and courses, page updated 17 Aug 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Social Security: Carers Allowance, page updated 24 Dec 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Social Security: Increased Carers Allowance, page updated 11 Jun 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home, page updated 20 Jun 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: residential care, page updated 6 Feb 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- AACC: Telecare, page updated 14 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order. Checked 20 Oct 2026.