The house of St. John Baptist in Viekšnaliai village, Telšiai district, was created by us Maltese, the furniture in, was donated by benefactors, the paintings were donated by watercolourists, the flowers were brought from different places. Thanks to the sponsors, the first Maltese house has been set up, and the first tree we planted in the yard is ginkgo. Everything here is so own, cozy and full of warmth.
It is very important to us that foster elders woudl understand and feel that this is not an institution, but a home, a room, not a ward, and they are not patients themselves. Although the residents (we already have 17 of them, 28 in the plans) have only lived here for a month, they have already got used to the new spaces and have established a very warm relationship with the staff. Everyday time is spent here all while chatting, managing the environment or cooking. We have set up two kitchenettes here, which are always open, so you can make coffee, make pancakes or make delicious pumpkin soup. We create an environment where seniors feel at home, surrounded by family members.
The first resident of the Maltese house, John (symbolic!), was hospitalized for a week. When we called him on the phone, we heard very important words: "I already want to go home..." Another resident Antanas, when asked how he lives, joked that he only needed "bird milk".
Let's help the residents of the Maltese house feel like at home!