Shelter provides haven for people with Down's syndrome

Shelter provides haven for people with Down's syndrome

JAKARTA (JP): Donny is happy to be with his friends at this
South Jakarta home for the mentally retarded.

Donny celebrated his 35th birthday last month. Despite his
age, he still needs his family to take care of him and provide
for his needs.

He was quite happy living with his parents at home until his
parents realized that they had become too old and too weak to
take care of him properly.

"I'm already 70 and I'm afraid I cannot pay him enough
attention. Yes, he has brothers and sisters, but they have their
own families," said Donny's father Sukotjo.

Sukotjo shared a similar anxiety with other parents who have
sons or daughters with mental retardation, particularly those
with Down's syndrome.

Sukotjo was lucky. His friend told him about a long-stay home
for mentally retarded individuals in South Jakarta.

Wisma Mutiara II, the first of its kind here, was established
by the Mutiara Foundation in l987.

The idea came from Sahria Hasan Askar, a 78-year-old who has
an adult son with Down's syndrome.

The development of the shelter on 1,596 square meters in
Gandul village, Cinere cost about Rp 100 million (around
US$50,000). The home consists of several bedrooms for its male
and female occupants, two workshops and a living room. It also
has a large yard.

"My dream was to build a home where the mentally retarded live
happily in a healthy environment," Sahria explained.

The mentally retarded, she said, are human beings who also
have the right to be happy, to socialize and to improve their
bodies and minds.

The home is far from perfect, she said. "But at least, we have
started thinking about the future of retarded adults," Sahria
said.

D. Saragi, the foundation's secretary, said that many parents
of mentally retarded infants and children may wonder what their
child will be like when she/he reaches adulthood.

In the past, he said, people believed that the mentally-
retarded don't live long due to mental and physical constraints.

Longer

As a matter of fact, the mentally retarded are now living
longer and are healthy well into their fifties and sixties, he
said.

Saragi said in foreign countries, in the past, most children
and adults with mental retardation lived in large institutions,
away from the rest of the community, to protect them from
exploitation and neglect. Parents who did not want their adult
sons or daughters to live in such institutions could keep them at
home. But this placed a great burden on parents, who continued to
worry about what would happen to their child once they were no
longer able to take care of him or her, he explained.

"We think of it as a home rather than a boarding house. The
concept has worked quite well," he added.

Since its opening nine years ago, the long-stay home has had
17 occupants. It has a staff of 12, including trainers, nurses, a
cook and housekeepers. A doctor and a psychologist provide weekly
physical and mental examinations.

The cost is about Rp 350,000 per person.

"We treat them as part of our family. They have their own
rooms or share with another. To make them feel at home, we allow
them or their parents to bring their belongings here," said
Mulyana, head of the home.

Activities at Wisma Mutiara II start at dawn. All the
occupants get up at 5 o'clock, pray together and exercise before
breakfast. At 8 a.m., they get busy. Some of them work in the
workshop to produce educational toys and household items. There
are sewing, gardening, as well as poultry and fish breeding
classes.

"These activities are aimed at creating a more fulfilling life
for them," Mulyana explained.

He added that although it is impossible to improve their
intellectual abilities, the programs keep them active.

"They also enhance their social skills," said Mulyana.

He said although mentally-retarded people will always need
help to get by in the community, most mentally-retarded adults
can take some responsibility for their own needs and require
periodical rather than constant supervision.

Many parents, he said, feel they can look after their mentally
retarded offspring at home.

But Sukotjo admitted that his son needs more than he can give.
"He needs a place where he can be happy with his friends. I think
this is the right place for him," Sukotjo said.

Dewi, 35, the daughter of a professor, said she is happy at
Wisma Mutiara. "This is my second home. My brothers and sisters
visit me whenever they can," said Dewi, whose parents died in a
car accident.

Saragi explained that parents or close relatives of the
occupants are expected to frequently visit their sons, daughters,
brothers or sisters.

"This is not a place where people abandon their mentally
retarded children. This is where they can expect their mentally-
retarded children or siblings to stay happily for the rest of
their lives. Without the parents' participation, we cannot
achieve our dream," Saragi said. (raw)