XN000022-1986-01-25 — Page 4

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 1986

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MORE WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES IN THE PIPELINE

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TWENTY-NINE WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED WILL BE SET UP IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WITH NINE PROVIDING HOSTEL SERVICES, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ANSON CHAN, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG'S SHUN TIN HOSTEL AND WORK ACTIVITY CENTRE IN KWUN TONG, SHE NOTED THAT WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES WERE RUN BY TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS WHO WOULD TAILOR TRAINING PROGRAMMES TO THE NEEDS AND ABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS.

IN SUCH CENTRES, THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED WOULD BE TAUGHT SELF CARE, COMMUNICATION, DOMESTIC CHORES, PERSONAL HYGIENE AND BASIC WORK HABITS, WITH THE ULTIMATE AIM OF HELPING THEM TO LEAD

INDEPENDENT LIVES,

DAY WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES CATERED TO THOSE HANDICAPPED WHO LIVED AT HOME WITH THEIR FAMILIES, AND AT PRESENT THERE WERE SOME 500 SUCH PLACES IN SERVICE.

+ACCORDING TO OUR PLANS, 20 DAY CENTRES WILL BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THESE WILL BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT HONG KONG AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 1 400 PLACES,+ MRS CHAN SAID.

SOME WORK ACTIVITY CENTRES HAD RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES AND PROVIDED ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS IN ADDITION TO TRAINING. THERE WERE AT PRESENT EIGHT SUCH CENTRES PROVIDING 295 PLACES FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED AGED 16 AND ABOVE.

RESIDENTS OF THESE CENTRES WERE MAINLY THOSE WHO, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, COULD NOT RECEIVE ADEQUATE CARE AT HOME THEY MIGHT BE FROM BROKEN FAMILIES OR ABANDONED BY THEIR FAMILIES. MANY WERE WARDS OF THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE.

+ DUE TO THE DEMAND FOR THIS SERVICE, THERE ARE PLANS TO SET UP NINE CENTRES WITH RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, TO BE OPERATED EITHER BY MY DEPARTMENT OR SUBVENTED AGENCIES.

+ THE RELATED DESIGN AND BUILDING WORK ARE IN HAND, AND 1 AM GLAD TO SAY THAT SUCH A CENTRE TO BE RUN ALSO BY THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG WILL OPEN IN SHA TIN IN A FEW MONTHS' TIME,+ MRS CHAN SAID.

THE NINE NEW CENTRES WILL PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 600 HOSTEL PLACES AND HELP MEET THE NEEDS OF THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED IN THIS AREA.

/MRS CHAN