Rehabilitation Service: One-stop Integrated Service

On August 14, 2008, 21 Caring Company representatives visited the Providence Garden for Rehab in Tuen Mun. Through visiting this facility, the participants could understand the latest trend in rehabilitation service development and to explore how company could help the mentally challenged people to develop their potentials and take part in the community affairs.

The 12-story Providence Garden for Rehab provides integrated professional service, including residential service, job-training and psychological counseling for over 1,000 individuals with mental illness or mental retarded persons. Ms Friendly Au-yeung, Chief Manager of the Garden made a very interesting introduction on their service concepts and features, as well as various services in different level in the building. The Garden not only focuses on mentally challenged people’s physical health, but also their mental wellness. Chinese medicine concept, emphasis on balancing various elements in our body, was adopted in daily service, this could help mentally challenged people to aware the importance of both mental and physical health. Besides caring for the users’ mental health, the Garden is also caring for the physical and psychological healthiness of their staff: The Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council provides emotions support to its staff to ensure their physical and psychological wellness, which could support them to tackle their challenging job.

Afterwards, participants were guided-toured to different service units including the residential environment, shelter-workshop and a social enterprise cafe. They were also provided a chance participating in the production of recycle paper, various mosaic products, felt needlework products etc in the shelter-workshop, by interacting with the ex-mentally-ill people, participants could learn more about mentally challenged people’s daily life. Apart from indoor training, the Garden also has an outdoor organic plantation. Horticultural therapy could help ex-mentally-ill people regaining their self-confidence. With the company of Garden staff, ex-mentally-ill people are encouraged to involve themselves in the community, learning techniques in daily life such as purchasing commodity, travelling with Octopus card in public transports, and using road facility etc, these could help to prepare them reintegrate into society.

Representatives from Caring Company reflected that through this visit, their knowledge in latest rehabilitation service could be enhanced, they were also inspired with more ideas how the business could help mentally challenged people such as organize volunteer teams, purchase rehabilitation clients’ made products and provide placement opportunities to them.

Sponsored by: SF Express

Caring Company representatives arrived at the lobby of The Providence Garden of Rehab.

Participants tried to make recycle paper with mentally challenged people.

Products of mentally challenged people and mental retarded persons are for sale in lobby.