The Malta Dementia Society has called for immediate and coordinated action to address gaps in dementia care across the country, warning that people living with the condition must be properly safeguarded from harm.The organisation issued the appeal following recent tragic events affecting people living with dementia and their families, extending its condolences to the bereaved family while calling for sensitivity towards everyone involved.“Every person living with dementia deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion,” the society said.MDS argued that Malta urgently needs significant and sustained investment to ensure people have access to high-quality, specialised dementia care, both within the community and in long-term care facilities.“Every individual has the right to be safe and protected while receiving care services, and any failure to uphold this standard is unacceptable,” it said.While stressing that it respects the proceedings of an ongoing magisterial inquiry, the organisation said it could not “shy away from deploring this serious system failure”, which it said is failing to address the individual needs of people living with dementia.The society is now calling on authorities, agencies and other stakeholders to work together to identify and address existing shortcomings in the system.It stressed that dementia care needs to become a national priority, with the dignity, safety and well-being of each individual remaining at the centre of decisions surrounding their care.“People living with dementia must be safeguarded from harm and treated as valued members of our community,” MDS said.The organisation concluded by warning that this is not an issue Malta can afford to put off, with dementia already affecting thousands of families across the country today.Do you think Malta needs to invest more in specialised dementia care?•