Astitva

Mentally challenged individuals pose a heartache for all concerned, be it their family members or the people they come into contact with. With no control over their thoughts and unaware of the effect their actions have on people, they are often disowned by their familiar guardians. Astitva is the name of our organization which will bring together all these people under one umbrella, cater to their daily needs of food and shelter and try and guide their dormant abilities into doing some fruitful activities.

Life is never easy, But it is tougher for people who have to combat disabilities and emerge winners in life.

We have seen how even to perform simple tasks, mentally challenged beings are unable to do so. These are supposed to be special to god and therefore utmost care should be taken while handling them, yet they are neglected as well as unaccepted in society.

We as normal beings in society fail to notice that they are just like us, only that they take time to do certain things, where we do it spontaneously, with such pain these individuals who are mentally unstable try to match up with our pace, all they need is our constant support so that they can make it on their own despite their incapabilities. Our genuine efforts would not only bring about a change in these mentally deranged lives, but also to their hapless parents and guardians, who have a harrowing time with these individuals.

So, with a view of treating these mentally underdeveloped people as individuals of our society and also of providing assurance to the parents and guardians of their well-being till the end, we a group of people who feel the need to do something worthwhile for these individuals introduce ‘ASTITVA’.

ASTITVA, meaning identity shall form the base of these individual’s identity. Located at Malshej, which is very close to Mumbai city, these individuals will be given residence alongwith their parents and other such individuals who will all be with their parents or guardians. Its prima fascia will be:

• Education in personal hygiene and conduct. Individual attention will be given.
• Wide-open playground for outdoor games and activities like gardening, making pots with clay etc. will be indulged with.
• Professional staff will take great care in grooming these individuals in a positively independent direction.
• The parents / guardians shall receive and give companionship with other fellow parents / guardians. Together, they can raise issues and adopt them for the betterment of the individuals.
• Even after the demise of the parents / guardians, our individuals would be looked after and cared in the same way as their parents / guardians did. The efficient staff would cater to the needs of every individual.

Every such individual will know ‘ASTITVA’ as his or her own identity, his or her own special world So come together, let’s form an identity.

Our goal is to prevent segregation of these challenged beings from mainstream.

There are people who appear perfectly normal outwardly but have minor disabilities (mental or physical), which prevent them from being part of the mainstream or getting ahead in life. Society has little time or patience for such special individuals, which is why it has so few institutions to cater to their needs. And this state of affairs would continue were it not for a few concerned people who will not close their eyes to the problems of the differently abled, or sit back and tolerate injustices meted on them. By providing counseling, schooling and professional guidance, astitva helps differently abled individuals become independent and self-reliant.

Driven by the belief that even the differently abled people have a right to happiness and education, Astitva aims to help them become independent, reducing their social liability and bringing them dignity to their lives.

Astitva also noticed that mentally challenged children often faced rejection from educational institutions, even those children with slight disabilities face discriminations from special schools, choosing to reserve their seats for more deserving candidates. Such discrimination lead to their alienation from a normal social life. The worst hit were those kids whose parents also deserted them. There have been instances where the fathers have refused to financially assist such problem children, or the mothers are reluctant to care for them. Many families have even broken up. Sometimes the birth of these children has given rise to feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment in parents. Inevitably this has reflected on the child’s self-esteem and behaviour.

We aim to make every such individual independent and self-reliant, to teach them functional and vocational skills, to introduce independence in daily activities, to get them jobs befitting their capacity, to provide practical behaviour oriented programs so as to set them on the road of normalization, arrange regular outings for students to expose them to the mainstream environment and condition their social behavioural skills.

Welcome to “ASTITVA” home for the mentally handicapped. Visitors are always welcome to tour our facility located at 400 S. near Ganpati Temple, off Mumbai Agra Road, Khardi Station (West), Shahapur, Dist. Thane.

“ASTITVA” home for the mentally handicapped is committed to deliver quality health care consistent with applicable state and exclusive health and safety standards. We are dedicated to the provision of quality health care and living accommodations for our residents, and to accomplishing this mission by…

• Responding to the physical & emotional needs of all residents.
• Providing excellent care through multiple levels of service in selected locations.
• Providing an environment that enhances each resident’s awareness of his or her medical condition, treatment and prognosis, dignity, security, comfort and peace of mind.
• Ensuring that services are provided and that facilities are maintained in a fiscally responsible manner.
• Providing through people, facilities, and programs, a balance between security and independence for residents, which assists in achieving and maintaining the resident’s highest practicable physical, mental, and psycho-social well-being, in accordance with each resident’s comprehensive assessment and plan of care.

“ASTITVA” home for the mentally handicapped is a Skilled Medical Facility designed for 90 beds. It will be operational in Jan 2004. We are a non-profit organization registered as a Public Charitable Trust under the Public Charitable Trust Act 1950, Regd. No. E-16342 (Mumbai). Income Tax Exemption under 12 A, and under 80g of I.T. Act 1961 vide order No. DIT (E) 8E/ MC/80G/1303 Dated 6-12-99.

Rooms are semi-private, however private rooms/houses can be requested at an additional fee and are subject to availability. All rooms/houses are neat, clean and completely furnished. Residents are encouraged to bring personal items to help them feel at home in their new environment. Visiting areas for family and friends are also available.

Housekeeping, central dining or tray food service, special diets, bathing, personal laundry and linen services and daily activities are provided for all residents. Transportation to and from medical clinics and hospitals is provided at no extra charge.

Professional nurses are on duty 24 hours each day. Such medication and therapy normal to the best nursing care facilities are available under the direction of the medical staff and director of nursing. A staff of doctors and a physician assistant are available on a visiting staff basis as well as Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Dietary consultants. A working affiliation with a transfer agreement would be arranged with the nearby Hospital. Ambulance service will also be available 24 hours a day.

Admission can take place after all prior arrangements have been made, including a personal application, screening, physical examination and recommendation by the attending physician. In our civilized world, it becomes extremely difficult to counter uncivil behaviour displayed by these mentally underdeveloped individuals-whether male or female. Its very sad to say, sane people like us turn a blind eye when it comes to show concern over these individuals, we ignore the aspect that it is their minds which is stunted, not their physical self. These innocent individuals do not even realize as to what is happening to them and are more prone to vulnerabilities, exploitation, and harassment by the ones, who exploit them.

These disturbed minds are unable to make sense of distortedness around them and if they exercise wild, violent and aggressive behaviour on innocent people, they are severely punished, abused or sometimes even attacked. They suffer in mute silence. The parents are sometimes the one facing the brunt of their mentally unstable children, without much help from relatives, friends, or neighbours, their main worry is to what will happen after they are gone, in such cases either these challenged beings are rid of or left off to fend off for themselves. In such circumstances, they fall prey to those people who exploit them further given their sensitive state of mind.

For each person, mentally handicapped child is a horrifying experience – one that often presents complex challenges. With age it is only their physical health that progresses. The time of puberty, of these individuals, be it a boy or girl, is cause for great problem to them and their parents. Due to total lack of understanding they just cannot observe constraint on their physical needs. This causes great distress, as although they are incapable of understanding their physical needs, they greatly enjoy exercising them. So in case of a boy, he tends to unknowingly molest female members in this family, friends or neighborhood and the poor girl is easily taken for a ride by any male. During such times, the guardians have a very hard time in controlling them, as they refuse to oblige since it gives them pleasure. As they grow older, problems increase two fold. In case of the demise of their parents or guardians, there is no willing person to take on their responsibility due to which they are mostly, literally, thrown out on the streets. They are greatly exploited and made to beg like other beggars.

We as responsible citizens should come forward and strive hard for these mentally challenged individuals. At “ASTITVA” Malshej/Khardi, we yearn to bring about a change in these special individuals.

There would be least strain on these mentally challenged individuals, nurturance and development would come eventually for them, as they would be able to imbibe themselves as per their liking in this comfortable and adaptive environment. They would no longer be dependant, with the further assitance of their parents or guardians constantly supporting them in their path towards betterment. Astitva will carve a niche for these special individuals and they would no longer be an invalid. In fact these challenged beings would be looked upon by other deprived sections, which would take some cues from it and follow suit.

At Astitva, these mentally unstable beings would be given a free hand in expressing their suppressed feelings, which they were not able to do so previously. It would help them in identifying with their personalities; they would not feel exploited or self-pitied. Such a scenario would immensely benefit the parents or guardians who till now have been facing an arduous task while handling them, they would feel relieved not only mentally but also physically, no longer would they alone bore the responsibilities as it would be well looked after, these parents would be so tension-free that they can even volunteer to work as a team at Astitva in reforming other such children, In this way, parents can not only help their children but also other children.

Such efforts carried out would bring about a significant change in society, Astitva would give a new dimension to these mentally challenged individuals bringing light and joy to their distraught lives. The “ASTITVA” home for the mentally handicapped at Khardi, would become one of the nation’s premier health care centers for the mentally handicapped, is especially able to help you meet those challenges.

Anyone who can benefit from the services offered at the “ASTITVA” home for the mentally handicapped can be considered for admission. Applicants must be mentally handicapped, or at least taking treatment for the temporary disablement. Medicare and Medicaid are available for eligible persons. The “ASTITVA” home for the mentally handicapped admits, retains and cares for individuals without regard to race, religion, creed, color, gender, or sexual preference, national origin, blindness or other disability or sponsorship.

Parents or guardians would be involved actively in this project at Malshej/Khardi, the number of houses bought would be in the name of child and his parents, the parents would be trustees of the houses they own, as long as they live, in case of demise of either of parent, the remaining parent and the patient would be the trustees, if both the parents are deceased, the foundation will itself become the trustees.

Once the patient is brought to our centre, both the parents will have to compulsorily accompany their child for a month, given their sensitive state of mind. It’s very difficult for these handicapped children to adjust to a new environment and they take time to get settled in, which they would gradually do, given their parent’s support and time. It would be obligatory that after one month, the parents should further stay for another month or two and afterwards they can leave or stay depending as to how their wards are reacting and can visit them atleast twice a week.

Services at the Astitva Home are covered with one time lump sum payment as a Family Life Membership and private annual payments. The fee structure:-Initially a deposit of upto 4 lac rupees is required, out of which 3%meals would be looked after, the interest earned on this money would go in for the rehabilitation of these mentally challenged individuals, such as their medical expenditure, food and clothing, maintenance and other such expenses.

Around 450 square feet area would be provided to each family, the father and mother are the permanent trustees of this land. The benefits from some families in the form of donations or charities would be for the low-income family who are unable to meet up the expenses at our centre. Such efforts would greatly reduce the worries of old people who are uncertain over as to after them how their child is going to survive. The total number of handicapped children accommodated is upto 500,but initially intake would be 5 and so on.

A nominal sum of 4,50,000 for a period of 15 years is taken as deposit; the interest earned on it would be used to look after the medical expenses, clothing, food, etc. It would be mandatory on the part of parents or guardians to furnish with every medical and personal details about the patient, which would be definitely kept strictly confidential. We must understand that this is not some voluntary home run by us, it could be seen as a health care resort.

The Main Campus:- a dynamic 100-bed center overlooking the lush green forest for those disables with the well elderly parents, the physically frail and those with temporary disease or other disorder’s.

The Greenview Division:- a more intimate 50 Row houses center in the heart of the Astitva community for the physically frail and those with temporary disease or other dementia’s.

The Omkar Division:- a small 24 apartments facility comprised of all private Flats. This facility is located eastern side of the Project and provides care to the mentally handicapped and those with aged parents

Short-term Rehabilitation and Respite Care:- short stays at the Astitva Home’s Main Campus for temporary disorders who need rehabilitation or convalescence from an illness or accident, or for people whose relatives need time off from care giving.

Regency:- an apartment complex on the Astitva Home’s main Campus for seniors and disabled adults capable of living on their own.

The main campus of The Astitva home is a dynamic, vibrant community situated on 19 acres of lawns and gardens overlooking the Mumbai Agra Road and the Palisades.

For over twenty years, The Fulora Foundation has been deeply committed to assuring the maximum quality of life for each person in our care. A commitment continually renewed and expanded as our circle of care expands. Through creativity, professionalism and compassion, innovative programs and services, achieving the highest quality of life for everyone whose life we touch is our tradition and our goal.

The Astitva home for mentally handicapped a not for profit, center wants to offers a continuum of care to over around 1,000 mentally handicapped people in the Mumbai, Maharashtra and from all over the India. The Home’s main campus, situated on 19 scenic acres overlooking the Mumbai Agra Road, is a dynamic and magnificent community.

To our residents and their families, the Astitva Home offers assurance that total attention is being paid to the well being of each individual receiving carethe right kind of care needed at each stage of the aging process. From the older woman or man who needs only an occasional helping hand with such tasks as bathing and dressing, to the most frail who require around-the-clock complex care, the mission for all is the same: to help each person in our care transcend the limits and infirmities of age to experience, as well, life’s joy and diverse pleasures.

Several distinctive living environmentsincluded among the seventeen residential health care unitswhich would match to specific health and social needs, presenting a wide range of options for persons who choose to live at the Astitva Home. The particular character of each residential area is linked to the degree of staff support and required services, while simultaneously designed to encourage a resident’s maximum level of independence. Essential everyday services such, as housekeeping and security are key to a sense of well being. So is attention to detail, like hanging a family photo in that ‘perfect spot’. At the Astitva Home, service with a warm human touch gets a priority.

Throughout its history, the Fulora Foundation has met the physical and emotional needs of people through superlative programs and a beautiful environment, which support and enhance body, mind and spirita philosophy which permeates every area of the home.

With a warm, intimate family atmosphere, the Astitva Home for the mentally handicapped is a long-term residential health-care facility serving 200 disabled men and women whose needs range from minimal assistance with bathing, dressing, eating and walking to 24-hour skilled nursing and medical care. The staff-to-resident ratio allows the facility’s caregivers to provide the most appropriate and responsive care with compassion and sensitivity. Residents live in bright, attractive private or semiprivate rooms. Each floor has its own dining room, so  t’s only a short trip to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Residents of Astitva home can enjoy a spectacular view of national highway, with its lush foliage and charming homes, while participating in activities or relaxing in the facility’s rooftop garden.

A comfortable residential lounge and kitchen provides a warm atmosphere where residents can meet with friends and family, relax by the waterfalls, play the piano or just sit and talk over a cup of coffee. Astitva home’s innovative Memory Park, which is situated adjacent to the facility, incorporates a myriad of colors, scents and textures to stimulate a variety of experiences and memories. Along the edges of the paths throughout the Park there are familiar icons of old Indian architecture, including seating in the form of a Gunfa’s and park benches, porch swings, a boardwalk and an old-fashioned clothesline. There are also open areas for gardening and planting.

Licensed professionals provide care with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The care team at Astitva includes Physicians specializing in Neurology medicine, Nurses and Nurse Aides, Social Workers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Audiologists, Registered Dietitians, Therapeutic Activities Staff and Rehabilitation Aides.

In addition to our staff physicians, specialty medical services would be provided on request include: Audiology, Cardiology, Dentistry, Dermatology, ENT, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Gyneacology, Hematology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Optometry, Orthopaedics, Physiatry, Paediatry, Psychiatry, Psychology, Pulmonary, Radiology, Rheumatology, Urology, and Vascular Services.

In addition to receiving quality medical and nursing care, residents at Astitva home benefit from attention to their social, emotional and recreational needs. Because of the wide range of activities offered in a cozy home-like setting, day-to-day life at Astitva is both pleasurable and enriching. The recreational activities offered at Astitva are designed to meet a wide variety of interests. Included in the roster are arts and crafts sessions, music groups, concerts, plays, cooking classes, bingo, socials, current events discussions, movies, exercise classes, horticulture and outings to local restaurants, shopping centers and dinner theaters. There are also religious services, special holiday celebrations throughout the year, a monthly birthday party, and the annual Astitva’s Parents and Grandparents’ Day barbecue, which will become a tradition for residents and their families. In short, no one will be left out at Astitva; all residents enjoy a high quality of life.

The maintenance, housekeeping and security staff ensure that residents’ rooms, the facility’s interiors and grounds are kept clean and in optimal condition for resident enjoyment. 24 hours help with individual resident volunteers will help to obtain laundry and linen services and 24-hour security are also provided by these caring and concerned staff members.

In a cozy home-like setting, where residents have charmingly-appointed private rooms, the Astitva Home for the Mentally handicapped would offer medical and nursing services for 200 men and women whose needs range from minimal assistance with bathing, dressing, eating and walking to skilled nursing and medical care. Professionals would provide physical, occupational and speech therapies, social services, recreational activities, nutrition.