Help at Home for an Older Parent in Malta: The Government Services Explained

If your mum or dad wants to keep living at home, Malta offers more practical help than many families realise: an alarm pendant, a daily meal, a home helper, respite for the family carer, and money towards a carer. Almost all of it comes from Active Ageing and Community Care (AACC) and the Department of Social Security.

This guide covers who qualifies for each service, what it costs in 2026 and how to apply. Every figure comes from the official page, checked on 20 October 2026. Amounts change with each Budget, so check the linked page before relying on one.

One application, many services

Most AACC services use the same form, the Elderly Services Application (source: AACC: applications and courses). You can fill it in online through the government's eService form (source: Elderly Services Application eService (e-ID)), or download it and hand it in on paper. Paper applications go to Active Ageing and Community Care, Old Mint Street, Valletta VLT1510, or by email to aacc-services@gov.mt (source: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home). The paper form lists the services by number, so one form can cover more than one service (source: AACC: Elderly Services Application form). It also gives Freephone 153 for questions (source: AACC: Elderly Services Application form).

Three things are worth knowing before you start:

• A GP's medical report comes first. Nearly every AACC service asks for the application form "including the medical report signed by a General Practitioner" (sources: AACC: Home Help Service; AACC: Meals on Wheels; AACC: Night Shelter). Book the GP appointment early.
• Everyone is assessed. AACC gives services "according to need", after an assessment by an AACC health care professional (source: AACC: Home Help Service). Some services, such as respite and CommCare home visits, are assessed by the CommCare team (sources: AACC: Respite at Home; AACC: Domiciliary Caring).
• The Pink Form matters. Several services are free, or cost less, for people with a valid Free Medical Aid document (the "Pink Form") issued by the Department of Social Security (sources: AACC: Telecare; AACC: Telecare on the Move; AACC: Handyman Service; AACC: Physiotherapy Service). If your parent has one, attach a copy.

Processing times aren't published for every service. servizz.gov lists three months for Home Help (source: servizz.gov.mt: Home Help Service) and 32 days for the Carer at Home scheme (source: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home).

Services at home, at a glance

All figures are from AACC and servizz.gov.mt pages, checked 20 Oct 2026.

Home Help and Home Help of Your Choice

What it is. The Home Help Service "offers assistance to older people and persons with special needs in performing light domestic chores and shopping" (source: AACC: Home Help Service). Once the application is approved, a Home Help supervisor contacts you to arrange a home visit and explain the service. AACC's Home Help Committee then allocates a number of weekly hours (source: AACC: Home Help Service).

Who qualifies. People over 65 who live alone or only with other people over 65. People under 65 with a valid EU Disability Card from Aġenzija Sapport. People with a debilitating illness (source: AACC: Home Help Service). If someone else aged 65 to 74 lives in the same home, AACC asks for a medical report for them too (source: AACC: Home Help Service).

What it costs. A fixed €2.33 a week comes off the pension of a household with one beneficiary. Where more than one person in the household receives the service, it's €3.49 a week, taken from one beneficiary's pension. If your parent doesn't get a pension, they can pay AACC directly (source: AACC: Home Help Service).

Home Help of Your Choice. Eligible clients can use a helper they choose themselves instead. AACC's wording: they "may opt to engage the services of a Helper of their own choice at a subsidised rate of €10.00 for every hour approved by the AACC Home Help Committee" (source: AACC: Home Help Service). The subsidy is paid into the beneficiary's bank account every 13 weeks (source: servizz.gov.mt: Home Help Service). The Government raised the rate from €9 to €10 an hour in January 2026 (source: Budget Speech 2026).

AACC publishes detailed Home Help guidelines (source: AACC: Home Help Service guidelines). Before you agree hours or pay with anyone, read them and ask AACC:

• what counts as a "Helper of their own choice";
• which paperwork is needed;
• whether you become that helper's employer.

The service pages don't say.

Home Help is not the same as employing a carer

"Home help" and "a carer at home" sound alike, but they're different paths, with different rules, money and paperwork.

If you decide to employ a carer directly, our step-by-step guide on how to employ a carer in Malta covers the employer's side. What a live-in carer costs sets out the numbers.

Using CarerMalta doesn't sign your parent up for Home Help or any other government service. A carer you contact through a listing here is not an AACC home helper. If you want the subsidy, apply to AACC yourself.

Telecare, Telecare on the Move and Meals on Wheels

Telecare installs an alarm set and pendant at home, giving "peace of mind to senior citizens, their carers and relatives when assistance is required" (source: AACC: Telecare).

• Who: people over 60, or under 60 with a serious illness. The home needs a fixed landline (source: AACC: Telecare).
• Cost: a €25 deposit, refunded when the set is returned, plus €4 rent a month (source: AACC: Telecare).
• No rent: someone over 80 who doesn't live with anyone under 60 pays no rent if they hold a valid Pink Form, or a Yellow Card showing they're diabetic (source: AACC: Telecare).
• Documents: the application form, an ID card copy, the Telecare Agreement, and a GP's medical report if the applicant is under 60 (source: AACC: Telecare).

Telecare on the Move is a portable device for people over 60 who are diagnosed with dementia and at risk of wandering (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).

• What it does: it connects to a 24-hour call centre, works anywhere in Malta and Gozo, detects falls and allows two-way calls with relatives or the call centre (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).
• Cost: the device is free after an assessment by the Dementia Intervention Team. The service is free for Pink Form holders and people over 80 (Scheme A). Otherwise it costs €4.99 a month excluding VAT, paid three months in advance (Scheme B) (source: AACC: Telecare on the Move).

Meals on Wheels delivers "one meal per day, which is delivered chilled", with a starter, main course and dessert. There's a choice of meals across a seven-day menu (source: AACC: Meals on Wheels).

• Who: people over 60, or under 60 with an EU Disability Card (source: AACC: Meals on Wheels).
• Cost: €2.20 per subsidised meal, paid in cash to the driver. Meals must be heated before eating (source: AACC: Meals on Wheels).

CommCare and therapy at home

Domiciliary Caring is care at home coordinated by AACC's CommCare team. A professional assesses each client, and "a care plan is devised in collaboration with the clients, their families and informal carers" (source: AACC: Domiciliary Caring). It's for:

• people who are homebound;
• people discharged from hospital who need short- or long-term care and can't get to a health centre;
• people who need pre-operative preparation;
• people who need treatment that can't be given at a health centre (source: AACC: Domiciliary Caring).

The application needs a medical report signed by the GP or a consultant geriatrician, and a recent hospital discharge letter or GP referral (source: AACC: Domiciliary Caring). CommCare decides how the service is delivered and how often, and it can decline referrals it considers inappropriate (source: AACC: Domiciliary Caring). No cost is published.

AACC also lists these community clinical services for people at home (source: AACC: community clinical services):

• Community Geriatrician Services
• Community Psychogeriatric Consultation
• Domiciliary Dietitian
• Domiciliary Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Phlebotomy (blood tests at home)
• Podiatry
• Psychotherapy

Each starts with a referral or medical report, so your parent's GP is the first person to speak to about any health need.

Community Physiotherapy is free. It includes a mobility assessment, therapy and exercise programmes, and advice for the people caring for your parent (source: AACC: Physiotherapy Service). If a motorised variable-height bed is needed, AACC leases one for €29.50 a month including VAT. The rent is fully covered for Pink Form holders (source: AACC: Physiotherapy Service).

Respite: a break for the family carer

If you, or another relative, are the main carer, respite is the service most families wish they'd asked about sooner. There are two kinds.

Respite at Home. AACC sends "a qualified care worker who will stay at home with the senior citizen to provide the informal caregiver a temporary break" (source: AACC: Respite at Home). The care worker provides companionship, socialisation and personal care, such as help with bathing, dressing, eating and using the toilet (source: AACC: Respite at Home). The packages are (source: AACC: Respite at Home):

• a full week, 24 hours a day, up to three times a year (with a six-week gap between packages);
• a full week, 08:00 to 17:00, up to eight times a year (with a six-week gap between packages);
• two fixed days a week for seven weeks, up to four times a year (with a two-month gap);
• two days a week of 4.5 hours each, for a whole year;
• one day a week of 9.5 hours, for a whole year;
• three single respite days (day or night), up to three times a year.

It's for people over 60 who live in a private home and depend on a family carer. AACC gives examples of situations it suits, such as a person living with dementia who becomes confused in unfamiliar places, or someone who is hard to move from home (source: AACC: Respite at Home). CommCare assesses each case (source: AACC: Respite at Home). The page doesn't publish a cost, so ask AACC.

Residential Respite offers a short stay in a care home: "a maximum of 63 days of care service", which family carers can use three times a year (source: AACC: Residential Respite). Priority goes to people who would be at risk while their carer is away (source: AACC: Residential Respite). Once approved, you can also book a respite bed yourself at any OPSA-licensed long-term care home. You tell AACC's Respite Care Unit in writing, and AACC reimburses "up to €72 per night" within the 63-day yearly limit (source: AACC: Residential Respite). You're responsible for the booking agreement with the home (source: AACC: Residential Respite).

Day centres, transport, repairs and night shelters

Active Ageing Centres are day centres for people aged 60 and over. They run talks, outings, exercise, crafts, IT sessions and lifelong-learning programmes (source: AACC: Active Ageing Centres). AACC says they're "not equipped to cater for the needs of a person with a high dependency level" (source: AACC: Active Ageing Centres). People often ask if they're free. There's a small monthly payment (source: AACC: Active Ageing Centres):

Whether transport is offered depends on the centre, so contact the centre directly (source: AACC: Active Ageing Centres).

Silver T is free local transport for people over 60, for everyday errands like the bank, the market, the clinic or the local council. It runs Monday to Friday 7:00 to 16:30 and Saturday 7:30 to 12:30. Book at least three days ahead on 2278 8900 (Malta and Gozo) (source: AACC: Silver T Service).

Handyman Service covers carpentry, painting, plumbing, electrical work, installing railings and moving items between rooms (source: AACC: Handyman Service). It's free for Pink Form and EU Disability Card holders. Other people over 60 pay a nominal fee that depends on the job, and everyone buys their own materials (source: AACC: Handyman Service).

Night Shelter is for people over 60 who live alone and feel insecure at night. They must be independent or need only minimal help, and the service isn't for people living with dementia. It costs €2.00 a night, paid monthly in advance (source: AACC: Night Shelter).

AACC also runs a Continence Service and a Telephone Rent Rebate for older people (source: AACC: other community services).

Money: Carer at Home, Carers Allowance and the Senior Citizen Grant

The Carer at Home scheme helps people over 60 "who employ a carer of their choice". It pays "up to a maximum of €9,000 per year, from when the application is approved", monthly, into a bank account (sources: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home; AACC: Carer at Home Scheme). The rules to know before choosing a carer (source: servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home):

• Qualification: the carer must hold a recognised qualification. Qualifications from abroad need equivalence through MQRIC.
• Contract: you need an employment agreement authenticated by a notary.
• Proof of employment: you need an official document from Jobsplus (and, for a non-EU carer, from Identità) showing the carer is in regular employment with the applicant. AACC and servizz.gov word this slightly differently, so confirm with AACC.
• Timing: servizz.gov lists 32 days to process an application.

Our Carer at Home guide covers the scheme in detail.

Carers Allowance is paid by the Department of Social Security to a relative who cares full-time for one or two relatives with low dependency, in the same household (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).

• Which relatives count: a spouse or parent, brother or sister, grandparent, uncle, aunt, or parent- or sibling-in-law (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).
• The carer: must be over 18 and, with some exceptions, under retirement age (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).
• Assessment: a Multi-Disciplinary Board assesses the case using the Barthel Index or the Mini-Mental State Examination (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).
• Payment: it isn't means tested, and it's paid every four weeks in advance (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance).

Increased Carers Allowance follows the same pattern for high dependency. If the person being cared for is 85 or older, the higher rate is awarded automatically once it's established that the relative really is caring for them (sources: Social Security: Carers Allowance; Social Security: Increased Carers Allowance).

The one-person rates are the same as the Budget 2026 figures (source: Budget Speech 2026).

The Department's pages add a "duplicate rights" rule: nobody can receive two pensions, benefits or allowances at the same time, only the more beneficial one (source: Social Security: Carers Allowance). The similarly named Carer's Grant is a different benefit, for non-working parents of disabled children.

"Can my mum pay me to be her carer?" This question comes up a lot. The state may be able to pay you: Carers Allowance and Increased Carers Allowance exist for relatives who care full-time in the same household, subject to the conditions above. Whether the Carer at Home subsidy can go towards employing a relative isn't stated on the official pages. Nor is whether it can be combined with Carers Allowance. Ask AACC before you plan around either.

The Senior Citizen Grant is €425 a year for people aged 75 to 79 on 1 January, and €525 for those 80 and over (source: Social Security: Senior Citizen Grant). It's for people who still live in their own home or with relatives, or in a private care home that isn't part of the Public Private Partnership scheme (source: Social Security: Senior Citizen Grant). It's usually paid automatically, though some people must apply. Nationality conditions apply too. Maltese nationals qualify, and so do permanent residents who are EU, EEA, Council of Europe, Australian or Canadian nationals (source: Social Security: Senior Citizen Grant).

If your parent is living with dementia

For questions about symptoms, diagnosis or treatment, start with your parent's GP. AACC's own advice is to discuss significant changes in daily activities with the GP (source: AACC: care for people with dementia). For support once there's a diagnosis, AACC's Dementia Care Directorate runs these services:

• The Dementia Helpline, 1771, available 24/7 "for information and guidance" (source: AACC: care for people with dementia).
• The Dementia Intervention Team visits people diagnosed with dementia who live in the community. It carries out a home assessment and draws up a care plan with support and advice for the person and their carers (source: AACC: Dementia Intervention Team).
• Dementia Activity Centres offer day care in localities across Malta and Gozo. Eligible people can attend up to three times a week, between 06:30 and 18:00 (source: AACC: Dementia Activity Centres).
• Telecare on the Move and Respite at Home, both covered above (sources: AACC: Telecare on the Move; AACC: Respite at Home).

For family carers, AACC lists two training options (source: AACC: applications and courses):

• iSupport for Dementia: a free online course from the World Health Organization, with five modules taking about seven hours.
• Dementia Care at Home: a course run by St Vincent De Paul Long Term Care Facility.

Our guide to dementia care at home goes further into the official support.

Government services often cover part of what an older parent needs, but not all of it, especially when someone needs to be there most of the day or overnight. Our guide to a live-in carer, a visiting carer or a care home compares the next steps. When you're ready, browse carer profiles and contact carers directly, or post a job using the button below. You decide who to speak to and who to employ.

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.

1. AACC: applications and courses, page updated 17 Aug 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
2. servizz.gov.mt: Carer at Home, page updated 20 Jun 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
3. AACC: Home Help Service, page updated 6 Jan 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
4. servizz.gov.mt: Home Help Service, page updated 20 Jun 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
5. AACC: Carer at Home Scheme, page updated 6 Jan 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
6. AACC: Telecare, page updated 14 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
7. AACC: Telecare on the Move, page updated 6 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
8. AACC: Meals on Wheels, page updated 27 Mar 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
9. AACC: Handyman Service, page updated 1 Dec 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
10. AACC: Night Shelter, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
11. AACC: Respite at Home, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
12. AACC: Residential Respite, page updated 6 May 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
13. AACC: Domiciliary Caring, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
14. AACC: Physiotherapy Service, page updated 28 Jan 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
15. AACC: Active Ageing Centres, page updated 10 Dec 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
16. AACC: Silver T Service, page updated 28 Aug 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
17. Budget Speech 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
18. AACC: Home Help Service guidelines. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
19. AACC: community clinical services, page updated 7 May 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
20. Social Security: Carers Allowance, page updated 24 Dec 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
21. Social Security: Increased Carers Allowance, page updated 11 Jun 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
22. Social Security: Schedule of Benefits Rates. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
23. Social Security: Senior Citizen Grant, page updated 1 Dec 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
24. AACC: care for people with dementia, page updated 3 Aug 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
25. AACC: Dementia Intervention Team, page updated 10 Dec 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
26. AACC: Dementia Activity Centres, page updated 22 Nov 2024. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
27. AACC: other community services, page updated 10 Jan 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
28. Elderly Services Application eService (e-ID). Checked 20 Oct 2026.
29. AACC: Elderly Services Application form. Checked 20 Oct 2026.