President Milanović Receives Employees and Clients of “Egida“ Daily Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Centre
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received today employees and clients of the “Egida” Daily Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Centre, an institution of social services in Zagreb providing care to adults with intellectual difficulties and associated disorders.
The Centre’s director defectologist, Andrea Pelin, acquainted President Milanović with the Centre’s work that has provided services to adults with intellectual difficulties since 2008: full-day stay through psychosocial rehabilitation programmes, work activities, healthcare, kinesitherapy and sports, music therapy, advisory work with clients and their families, support in organizing free time and supported employment.
At two locations in Zagreb, programmes with clients are carried out by defectologists, occupational therapists, one work instructor, one kinesiologist, one music therapist and one English language teacher with the assistance of external experts and volunteers, the Centre’s director noted, adding that all the Centre’s capacities are presently filled. The Centre’s mission is to maximally stimulate individual abilities and their clients’ potential as well as enable the most quality participation in the lives of their families and community, she underlined.
By presenting the abilities and the achievements of their work with clients, the employees of the Centre want to change attitudes in the community and build an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance. As an example of successful work, the Centre’s clients presented themselves with parts of a play based on the film “Tko pjeva zlo ne misli“ (Whoever sings does not mean evil) that featured: Josip Lehki, Jelena Gospodarić, Marija Mihaljević, Tomislav Leskovar, Ema Belavić, Karla Šimenc, Josip Blažević, Leon Vidosavljević, Vrban, Katica Kokotović, Petra Vićan, Ivan Blagus, Hrvoje Sokolaj, Franjo Šindler, Dino Mikrut, Ana Bačić, Domagoj Volf, Zoran Jovanić, Maja Wirnsberger, Željko Čavlović, Jasmina Hodžić, Mia Skočić, Silvio Ilijaš and Tomislav Marković.
Attending the meeting alongside director Pelin and the Centre’s clients were defectologist Ivančica Kancir, music therapist Nina Surian, English language teacher Rosemary Šandrk, accompanist Ana Lucić, work instructor Davor Caren and student Janko Orešković. Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Education Jadranka Žarković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan