Project: “FAMILY SUPPORT IN PREVENTION OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION”

Day Centers as services for support of persons with intellectual disability and their families on local level

Since 1984, the Republic Center for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability - PORAKA was permanently initiating the need for creation of Day Centers in front of the key institutions of the Government, in accordance with the Law for Social Protection. Through its analyses of the condition of persons with intellectual disability, PORAKA has concluded that the system of social protection must be efficiently supported by community-based services. These services will give all the necessary help and support of the persons with intellectual disability and their families, and by that, to the process of de-institutionalization.

The Republic Center for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability - PORAKA with the support of the Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia, in 2001 has started with the implementation of the project “Family support in prevention of institutionalization”.

The project provides preconditions for establishing Day Centers in the place of living, in which the adolescents with intellectual disability will be trained with programs for developing independent living skills, conducted by special educators, social workers and psychologists.

The activities for realization of the project started with provision of facilities for creation of the Day Centers in four municipalities: Skopje, Ohrid, Kocani and Radovis. At the same time, activities for identification of the potential users of the Day Centers and recruiting and training of the volunteers were carried out.

The following activity of the Republic Center for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability PORAKA was preparation of Scale for assessment of the possibilities of persons with intellectual disability, which represents basis for creation of individual working program for each person. The Scale for assessment of the possibilities and the Individual working program are the starting documents in the Dossier of the persons with intellectual disability. The activities for developing independent living skills are being determined in accordance with the Individual program. The Dossier of the person includes Finding and opinion as official document for categorization of the persons, as well as part of the handmade work of the person with intellectual disability (drawings).

Within the project, the Manuals “Manual for trainers” and “Training of member of the family with person with disability” were produced by PORAKA. The volunteers are using these Manuals as a basic guideline for implementation of the activities in the Day Centers, but also by the parents for work with their children in family environment (upgrade of the skills gained in the Day Centers).

The working program in the Day Centers is created by PORAKA, with flexibility for its supplementation by the volunteers, the parents and the users themselves. The general program realized in the Day Centers for developing independent living skills is consisted of:

•  Practical skills
•  Cognitive skills
•  Social skills

Important place in the program activities of the Day Centers are having the activities for developing of the esthetic-manual abilities, exercises for physical rehabilitation, computer work, independent preparation of meals, social games.

The principles for work in the Day Centers in the first place are directed to the use of the remaining abilities of persons with intellectual disabilities and theirs development, as much as possible. With the development of the independent living skills, the person is trained how to conduct practical activities, how to behave in public and in interaction with other people, how to participate in the family activities, cultural and sport events etc, as much as possible more independently.

With the realization of the program, the users of the Day Centers are encouraged, motivated and trained for independent living.

Very important activity and working tasks for the personnel is the everyday counseling and work with the parents of persons with intellectual disability, regarding the continuity of realization of the program activities in the family environment. This activity provides and ensures successfully gained skills.

The realization of the activities in the Day Centers is conducted through individual and group work. During the individual program, the personnel is working with every user separately, having in consideration the potential and the abilities, with activities that are given in the Individual working program. The group work is carried out in groups, where the users are selected by sex, age, potential and abilities.

Also, within the socialization, different group activities are realized, like social communication, overcoming social conflicts, visits of different public institutions, with a purpose for inclusion in the immediate social environment. With these activities the public awareness is influenced for change in the attitudes regarding the persons with intellectual disability.

Orientation in space is one of the main goals in the training for gaining independent living skills and a principle of PORAKA. With great pleasure we can say that the majority of the users in the Day Center of PORAKA in Skopje have developed this skill on a level that allows independent coming and leaving from the Day Center, using the public city transportation.

	VISITING THE DAILY CENTERS	click to zoom any of the photos