Co-Guardianship of Residents of ADHAR

In India, as per the census 2011, total number of mentally challenged people is 24.20 lakhs. Amongst them, 14.70 lacs are adults. There is no medical solution found for mental retardation. Parents face many physical and psychological difficulties while managing their special child at home. Their entire life revolves around supporting the needs of the child, due to which, they get completely detached from society, their relatives, and even neighbors. Even the child does not receive any social exposure owing to the apathy that exists around.

There are no dedicated facilities for the mentally challenged adults and they start overpowering their parents as they grow physically. A mentally challenged individual cannot become independent and needs continuous support throughout life. Keeping them occupied throughout the day and that too for lifetime, is a very challenging task. A residential institute taking care and providing support to these individuals is need of the hour. Additionally, the parents also live with this nagging worry that who will look after their child after them?

Thus, a lifelong care-taking residential institute is a practical and concrete solution to the constant worry of old parents of the mentally challenged adults.

ADHAR is a residential institution providing lifelong care, protection, training, treatment and rehabilitation to mentally challenged adults for the last 25 years. We are taking lifelong care of all types of basic as well as physical, psychological and medical needs of the mentally challenged adults by various activities at Adhar. Presently, we are taking care of 220 mentally challenged adults at Adhar [Badlapur] and 100 at Adhar [Nashik].

Usually, mentally challenged individuals just exist at their respective homes, but they really begin to live at Adhar. Various well-planned and well executed activities such as vocational classes, dance, music, arts, physical activities and individual attention to their interests makes life at Adhar very different. Over a period of last 25 years, all our residents are well settled at Adhar. They have their set routine throughout the day. They attend vocational training / special classes depending on their capacity and liking. They sing, dance, enjoy festivals and live a life of dignity. Here, they are not treated as a neglected member of the family and society. It is their own home, as all members are mentally challenged.

ADHAR today is taking care of 320 mentally challenged adults (Badlapur is 25 years operational and Nashik is 5 years operational).

It has given a complete physical, psychological and financial relief of more than 1000 families and has also addressed their nagging worry of “Who will Look After My Child After Me?” by providing lifelong residential facility for such people.

In doing so, ADHAR has also generated employment for more than 230 people directly, and for more than 500 people indirectly.

In short, ADHAR addresses 3 areas together:

1. Lifetime care and support to mentally challenged individuals

2. Complete physical, psychological and financial relief to their parents

3. Generation of direct as well as indirect employment in rural areas around the locations