Practice of application the assumed functions of communal home of mutual aid in support of persons with mental disorders presented on the case of work program of the Communal Home of the Mutual Aid 2 in Stalowa Wola

Abstract

Communal homes of mutual aid are day support centers for persons with mental disorders. They provide varied services for the persons with mental disorders and with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this article is to show the role and scope of operation of such facilities in a formation of social support network for persons with mental disorders, using the case of the Communal Home of Mutual Aid no 2 in Stalowa Wola. The analysis conducted based on the Home’s internal documentation, demonstrated that the facility provides for its beneficiaries different forms of support and activation, including practical trainings which involve: trainings of functioning in everyday life (e.g. personal hygiene training, cleaning training, cooking training, management of financial resources), trainings of interpersonal skills and resolving conflicts, trainings of the ability to spend free time as well as various forms of therapies (e.g. occupational therapy, art therapy) and relaxation trainings (e.g. classes held in the garden). The centre also provides actions aimed at preparation of the beneficiaries to participate in other programmes of communal support, including also the professional activity. The main objective of such activities is forming and strengthening of life and social skills of persons with mental disorders, encouraging their resourcefulness and autonomy, and to help them to overcome isolation barriers and ensure conditions of social integration of people with disabilities in their local environment.