Helping intellectual and physical disabled people
Imagine helping people who can’t help themselves. Imagine helping people with vulnerable intellectually and physical disabilities – people who have been abandoned by their family in some cases.
These people didn’t ask to be here, and they definitely didn’t ask for their disabilities. Yet here they are, and they need professional help and care in an environment that is safe, comforting, friendly and caring. An environment they can truly call home.
This is what San Michele Home for the Mentally Challenged in Brakpan offers to people who cannot take care of themselves. Currently, they have 236 patients in their care, ranging from low, to medium and high care. San Michele offers a variety of facilities, but they need financial assistance to maintain the level of care that they have been offering for the past 79 years.
Facilities available
1. For the low care patients, there are the semi-independent residential cottages, which include 72 beds. Each person has their own room.
2. People who need moderate care are homed in supported cottages, which total 85 beds.
3. People who are handicapped or severely and profoundly challenged are housed in the special wards. There are 80 beds in these eight wards.
4. There is also 24-hour nursing care with a 24-hour clinic.
5. Occupational therapy and physiotherapy are also offered to the patients, as well as therapy workshops.
6. Obviously, there is a kitchen providing nutritious meals and dining rooms for the patients.
7. A chapel is available for church services and there is an entertainment centre as well.
Activities
To prevent the patients from becoming bored, there are a variety of activities to keep them busy. For instance, San Michele Home offers a variety of sport activities, and the patients participate on Special Olympics level. They can participate in soccer, golf, netball, chess, and other types of sport.
The patients are also encouraged, where possible, to participate in the workshops where they are making a variety of items, which are sold for fund raising.
There is also a fixed programme of activities for every day of the week, which includes moves (aerobics) on Mondays and Fridays, Tuesdays are church service, on Wednesdays is sports and music therapy on Thursdays.
Fundraising
Besides selling the items made in the workshops, San Michele Home has a few ways of raising funds, but they don’t provide sufficient income. One of the fund-raising initiatives are the jumble sale of donated goods. The goal is to transform these jumble sales to a permanent charity shop on the premises. Another income stream for San Michele Home is the disability grants that the patients receive.
How you can help
As you can imagine, to run such an organisation takes more than caring for people, especially since San Michele Home’s government subsidy is not nearly enough to cover their basic expenses. San Michele Home is not asking for huge money donations (although that will help), but sponsorships and donations of any kind will help them. Something as unassuming as underwear and socks will mean a great deal to them.
Let’s look where else they need assistance:
1. San Michele patients urgently need new pillows. The last pillows they bought was before the COVID-19 pandemic, which means more than five years ago.
2. Bedsheets, blankets, and other bedding are always needed.
3. Besides underwear, especially for ladies, clothing and shoes are always needed.
4. Toiletries and adult nappies are also required.
5. Books, like colouring books and books with illustrations, DVDs, and CDs for the library for entertainment are required.
6. Food supplies are always in need.
7. There is a swimming pool on the premises which will provide necessary stimuli to the patients, but it needs serious repairs before it can be used.
8. Funeral services sponsorships are also needed as many of the patients have been abandoned and therefore, they don’t have anybody to pay for their burial.
9. Any sponsorship and donations will be greatly appreciated.
10. Supporting their fundraising events will also help. For instance, San Michele will host the Mr and Ms Mental Health Beauty Pageant. This event is always entertaining to the patients and requires sponsorships and support.
11. Volunteers are also in demand and include volunteering in:
a. Occupational therapy
b. Physiotherapy
c. Carpenters
d. Maintenance
e. Painters
f. People who can assist with entertainment, like musicians for music therapy.
Please help them
In the current tough economic climate, it might not be possible for you to donate money or items, but please be kind and at least donate some of your time. At the very least, please share this article with friends and family – somebody might have the means to assist San Michele in their great work.
For more information about the non-profit organisation and their team, got to www.sanmichele.co.za or contact them at 010 010 0891, 0671016800 or marketing@sanmichele.co.za.