Home Sulická received Ukrainian refugees with disabilities
To the Home for the Disabled Sulická, which is being set up by the municipality, only people over the age of 16 can be accepted. Now, however, there is a client from Ukraine who is 14 years old. Home director Lenka Kohoutová the emergency situation in particular helps, otherwise, the extraordinary income of people who do not meet the set rules would have to be approved with the Department of Social Care at the municipality, not only because of their age, but also because they are not citizens of Prague, or because they are an escort. “We report everything as an extraordinary event and we just try to help as much as we can.” said the director
“We are accepting people fleeing the war, who want to save their lives, someone ran away from bombed-out Kharkov, there is no time to ask for an exception, “asks Kohoutová as we take on all the responsibility.
There are currently 8 refugees from Ukraine in Sulická, 5 people with disabilities and 3 are escorted. At the time of the interview with Blesk News (Friday, March 25, 2022, ed. note) the staff had arranged another placement of the mother with the disabled son and were preparing to receive the patient from the Bohnice psychiatric hospital.
You can’t separate families
“The oldest refugee is 74 years old. These are people with mental disabilities if there are other associated illnessessuch as autism spectrum, Down syndrome or various internal diseases, “explains current clients from Ukraine Lenka Kohoutová.
Under normal circumstances at home family members cannot live with people with disabilities.
“But it’s hard to separate your daughter from your mother, who has never been without her. They cannot live in a normal hostel, because the daughter has specific behaviors. In addition, these situations are very difficult for people with mental disabilities“Said Blesk I report Lenka Kohoutová.
Marked for the rest of his life
Outpatient services are also very common in Ukraine, when the family takes the relative in the morning and then picks them up in the afternoon. Such services are also in our country, but there are very few of them and Ukrainian clients do not get into themso they will have to turn to homes, such as ten in Sulický.
According to Kohoutová, people with mental disabilities or PAS are accustomed to functioning in a certain rhythm, their lives are like a ritual, and if something deviates from the ritual, especially their mental state may worsen. Na to, spol experienced in recent days in Ukraine or on the run, everyone responds differently.
Kohoutová mentions the story of the family, who ran away with one healthy child and a disabled daughter. They also experienced bombing, the daughter was frightened and did not sleep for several days.
“Then the staff sat with her and stroked her head for so longuntil she fell asleep. Another client drank fully boiling tea and we needed two duvets. Everyone responds to a crisis differently, but even if they are well now, they will remember what they have experienced for the rest of their lives“I think Kohoutova.
Even those who are afraid who came with the disabled as an escort. “They don’t have what it looks like at home, sometimes they have no information about relatives. I want to work here, they are constantly asking about work and most importantly they want to return home as soon as possible. Not everything will happen right away, “adds Lenka Kohoutová. Moreover, not everyone was consciously heading to the Czech Republic. In short, they wanted to be safe. One woman had no idea what country she was in.
How to talk to people with disabilities about the war?
Existing clients approach new ones completely normally. Communication is not a problem either. “Escorts speak English or Russian, we have staff from Ukraine, the gentleman at the reception often helped us with translations, while I sat at the reception instead, smiles the director. Not all clients they can express themselves in words, so it is necessary to describe the maximum number of gestures to which they are accustomed. One the client responds to Ukrainian musicwhich reassures her. “
“Existing clients are also asking about the war, because of course they watch TV. We talk about it with them, those who do not communicate in words, for those we have a system of alternative communication in simple language, using pictures. Clients who are not severely disabled have even offered help and helped us move donations, which our employees, ”explains Kohoutová cohesion in the home.
Currently, the home is waiting for both the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs sets up a system of payments for clients from Ukraine. Now to but I still have to manage alone, through gifts.
People came with one pair of winter boots
Lenka Kohoutová was on vacation and a place to enjoy the mountains at the time of the conflict in Ukraine she immediately began to address how the home would help. It wasn’t easy at first. “The municipality has sent a request for how many people we can place, however, no one asks if you can accept, for example, five women or five men. How equipped are you, if there is a need for a medical service on site. We wrote off what we could do and nothing. through our social networks we then announced that we would place clients with mental disabilities, and started calling uswho needs help. At present We currently accept donations and set up a collection so that we can pay clients food, clothes, supplements for medicines etc. We can’t wait for help from the ministry, those people need help right now, “Kohoutová explains.
Most of them did not come with a suitcase, but e.g. with only one plastic bag, some wore only one winter boot. “We had to dress them completely, buy them, for example, soap, toothbrush and underwear“,” says the director, adding that most of the clothes were brought by the staff themselves, other things were brought by people as gifts.
Hate speech on Facebook
Home last year reduced the capacity by ten beds, but if necessary, it can increase it immediately. Also because of refugees personal he has vacated the therapy room and is ready to make beds in the meeting rooms.
“I would like to call that we still accept Czech clients. When we published a request for social networks to accept refugees, a debate broke out, which I would call Bohemia to Czechs. But people don’t realize that what is happening in Ukraine now can happen to us. – Then who will help us?Asks Lenka Kohoutová, who had to respond to hateful and critical comments.
“It’s important for us to make people understand why we do what we do. I have to help myself, by nature we are given this, we are a social service, “concludes Lenka Kohoutová.
If you want to help clients of Domova Sulická, follow his facebook page.
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