FIRST GROUP HOME IN THE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELECTUAL DISABILITY

Abstract

According to the example from many European countries, lead by the wish for improving the way and the conditions for living of the persons with disability, Government of Republic of Macedonia initiated the process of deinstitu­tionalization.
In the framework of this process on the 04 of December 2008 in Skopje, the first group home in community for people with intellectual disability was opened by the President of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, M-r Nikola Gruevski and the Minister for labour and social politics, M-r Dzelal Bajrami.
The financial help for realization of this project was enabled by the Ministry for labour and social politics of the Republic of Macedonia and the Open Society Mental Health Initiative from Budapest and the home will be lead by Polio Plus-movement against disability.
The group home is a family house with around 100 m2, and it is located behind the Special Primary School “D-r Zlatan Sremac” in the Municipality of Kisela Voda.
For the beginning of the project, in the group home are accommodated four people, previous dependants of the Special Institute in Demir Kapija, which will have 24 hours supervision by the professionally trained persons, educators and medical team.
The plan of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia is to open additional 48 homes and to include about 190 children, dependants of the Special Institute in Demir Kapija in the near future.