Shelter provides haven for people with Down's syndrome<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Donny is happy to be with his friends at this
\nSouth Jakarta home for the mentally retarded.<\/p>\n
Donny celebrated his 35th birthday last month. Despite his
\nage, he still needs his family to take care of him and provide
\nfor his needs.<\/p>\n
He was quite happy living with his parents at home until his
\nparents realized that they had become too old and too weak to
\ntake care of him properly.<\/p>\n
\"I'm already 70 and I'm afraid I cannot pay him enough
\nattention. Yes, he has brothers and sisters, but they have their
\nown families,\" said Donny's father Sukotjo.<\/p>\n
Sukotjo shared a similar anxiety with other parents who have
\nsons or daughters with mental retardation, particularly those
\nwith Down's syndrome.<\/p>\n
Sukotjo was lucky. His friend told him about a long-stay home
\nfor mentally retarded individuals in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Wisma Mutiara II, the first of its kind here, was established
\nby the Mutiara Foundation in l987.<\/p>\n
The idea came from Sahria Hasan Askar, a 78-year-old who has
\nan adult son with Down's syndrome.<\/p>\n
The development of the shelter on 1,596 square meters in
\nGandul village, Cinere cost about Rp 100 million (around
\nUS$50,000). The home consists of several bedrooms for its male
\nand female occupants, two workshops and a living room. It also
\nhas a large yard.<\/p>\n
\"My dream was to build a home where the mentally retarded live
\nhappily in a healthy environment,\" Sahria explained.<\/p>\n
The mentally retarded, she said, are human beings who also
\nhave the right to be happy, to socialize and to improve their
\nbodies and minds.<\/p>\n
The home is far from perfect, she said. \"But at least, we have
\nstarted thinking about the future of retarded adults,\" Sahria
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
D. Saragi, the foundation's secretary, said that many parents
\nof mentally retarded infants and children may wonder what their
\nchild will be like when she\/he reaches adulthood.<\/p>\n
In the past, he said, people believed that the mentally-
\nretarded don't live long due to mental and physical constraints.<\/p>\n
Longer<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, the mentally retarded are now living
\nlonger and are healthy well into their fifties and sixties, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Saragi said in foreign countries, in the past, most children
\nand adults with mental retardation lived in large institutions,
\naway from the rest of the community, to protect them from
\nexploitation and neglect. Parents who did not want their adult
\nsons or daughters to live in such institutions could keep them at
\nhome. But this placed a great burden on parents, who continued to
\nworry about what would happen to their child once they were no
\nlonger able to take care of him or her, he explained.<\/p>\n
\"We think of it as a home rather than a boarding house. The
\nconcept has worked quite well,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Since its opening nine years ago, the long-stay home has had
\n17 occupants. It has a staff of 12, including trainers, nurses, a
\ncook and housekeepers. A doctor and a psychologist provide weekly
\nphysical and mental examinations.<\/p>\n
The cost is about Rp 350,000 per person.<\/p>\n
\"We treat them as part of our family. They have their own
\nrooms or share with another. To make them feel at home, we allow
\nthem or their parents to bring their belongings here,\" said
\nMulyana, head of the home.<\/p>\n
Activities at Wisma Mutiara II start at dawn. All the
\noccupants get up at 5 o'clock, pray together and exercise before
\nbreakfast. At 8 a.m., they get busy. Some of them work in the
\nworkshop to produce educational toys and household items. There
\nare sewing, gardening, as well as poultry and fish breeding
\nclasses.<\/p>\n
\"These activities are aimed at creating a more fulfilling life
\nfor them,\" Mulyana explained.<\/p>\n
He added that although it is impossible to improve their
\nintellectual abilities, the programs keep them active.<\/p>\n
\"They also enhance their social skills,\" said Mulyana.<\/p>\n
He said although mentally-retarded people will always need
\nhelp to get by in the community, most mentally-retarded adults
\ncan take some responsibility for their own needs and require
\nperiodical rather than constant supervision.<\/p>\n
Many parents, he said, feel they can look after their mentally
\nretarded offspring at home.<\/p>\n
But Sukotjo admitted that his son needs more than he can give.
\n\"He needs a place where he can be happy with his friends. I think
\nthis is the right place for him,\" Sukotjo said.<\/p>\n
Dewi, 35, the daughter of a professor, said she is happy at
\nWisma Mutiara. \"This is my second home. My brothers and sisters
\nvisit me whenever they can,\" said Dewi, whose parents died in a
\ncar accident.<\/p>\n
Saragi explained that parents or close relatives of the
\noccupants are expected to frequently visit their sons, daughters,
\nbrothers or sisters.<\/p>\n
\"This is not a place where people abandon their mentally
\nretarded children. This is where they can expect their mentally-
\nretarded children or siblings to stay happily for the rest of
\ntheir lives. Without the parents' participation, we cannot
\nachieve our dream,\" Saragi said. (raw)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/shelter-provides-haven-for-people-with-downs-syndrome-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}