Too many in psychopaedic hospitals: doctor

Press, 7 May 1980, Page 11

Too many in psychopaedic hospitals: doctor

PA ' Auckland Three thousand intellectually handicapped New Zealanders in psychopaedic hospitals could be out in the community, a visiting West Australian doctor has said. Dr Guy Hamilton, of the Division of Mental Health Services for the Intellectually Handicapped in Perth, was in Auckland to give a seminar on a programme he has pioneered in community living for the mentally retarded in Western Australia. Five years ago, he said,500 intellectually handicapped people there lived in a mental hospital. Now, there were 128 and the figure was still dropping. Dr Hamilton said that 4000 intellectually handicapped New Zealanders lived in hospitals. He estimated that only 5 per cent needed to be there. About a third of the total intellectually handicapped population in New Zealand lived in institutions — five to six times as many as in West-

ern Australia and two or three times as many as in Britain. .4 Staff had to be trained to look after the' intellectually handicapped in the community, he said. One trained person could run a hostel for four or five patients. |i Dr Hamilton estimated that 10 per cent of the re- I tarded could live in flats . themselves in groups of I, three or four, A social j worker could check on ' them by visiting every week. “We have a new profession in Western Australia called social trainers," he said. “They teach only social skills.” Empty psychopaedic hospitals which resulted from the programme could be filled with others patients, such as geriatrics, Dr Hamilton said. Hostels for the intellectually handicapped could not be run by untrained people. “The intellectually handicapped need training in leisure hours as well as at workshops during the day.”