TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1987
DEVELOPMENT OF WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES MAPPED OUT
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THERE ARE NOW 21 WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES PROVIDING 1 010 PLACES FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ANSON CHAN, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE PO LEUNG KUK 82 HIN KENG CENTRE, SHE SAID THAT IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS A TOTAL OF 1 300 MORE PLACES WOULD BE PROVIDED BY AN ADDITIONAL 20 CENTRES.
+HENCE BY 1990-91, THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF 2 310 WORK ACTIVITY CENTRE PLACES, SHE ADDED.
ON THE FUNCTION OF THESE CENTRES, MRS CHAN SAID THAT THEY PROVIDED TRAINING, CARE AND WORK FOR THE LOW MODERATE TO SEVERE GRADE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED ADULTS.
+THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO IMPROVE THE IR PERSONAL AND SOCIAL ABILITIES, SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND CAN BE ACCEPTED AS SUCH, SHE SAID.
SHE NOTED THAT IN RECENT YEARS PEOPLE HAD COME TO ACCEPT THAT THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, EVEN THOSE CATEGORISED AS SEVERE GRADE HAD MORE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT THAN HAD HITHERTO BEEN THOUGHT POSSIBLE.
+THUS PLACEMENT IN A WORK ACTIVITY CENTRE SHOULD NO LONGER BE SEEN AS AN END IN ITSELF, BUT SHOULD BE REGARDED AS PART OF AN ON-GOING TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR THE CLIENT, SHE SAID.
MRS CHAN ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE FACILITIES AND PROGRAMMES OF A WORK ACTIVITY CENTRE SHOULD BE TAILOR-MADE TO SUIT THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF CLIENTS,
OUTLINING THE SORT OF TRAINING THAT WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES MIGHT PROVIDE IN FUTURE, SHE SAID THAT IT COULD BE BROADLY DIVIDED
INTO FOUR MAJOR AREAS.
+THE FIRST AREA IS TO PROVIDE ACTIVITIES IN DAILY LIVING TRAINING WHICH AIMS AT PROVIDING AIDS FOR CLIENTS TO ACQUIRE SENSORY-PERCEPTUAL AND MOTOR SKILLS, SELF-CARE SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS.
+THE TRA IN ING INCLUDES PERSONAL HYGIENE DRESSING, EATING, WASHING AND IRONING CLOTHES, ANSWERING THE DOOR BELL, MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS AND USING THE KITCHEN, SHE SAID.
AS THESE ACTIVITIES WERE NORMALLY CARRIED OUT IN A ROOM OR A FLAT, IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO SIMULATE SUCH NORMAL CONDITIONS INSIDE THE CENTRE. PERHAPS BY INCLUDING A MINIATURE FLAT ON THE PREMISES, SHE ADDED.
/THE SECOND
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