Overview

The end goal of therapy and care at Antara is to rehabilitate an individual to the community. Interestingly, a focus of care at Antara is to enable an individual to live within their community and in contrast to the UK (or Western models) there is less emphasis on the need to demonstrate independence.

Rehabilitation is fully integrated with inpatient care, so that a typical path for a patient might include:

• Admission to an acute ward for intensive therapy and assessment
• Transfer to a rehabilitation ward and involvement in occupational therapy or vocational training.
• Discharge and attendance as a day-care patient for continuing support and OT or vocational training

Antara does recognise some patients as being in need of continuing support in a safe environment. Many of these men and women are employed by Antara or live more independently in group-homes. For some gradual learning of vocational skills will enable full rehabilitation in the long-run.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a core part of rehabilitation at Antara. Benefits include:

• Improved motor coordination and social skills
• Development of vocational skills
• The ability to return to work or generate their own income

Patients at various stages of therapy and recovery, from wards to day-care and full rehabilitation, participate in one of a number of activities including:

• Agriculture - Including fisheries, poultry farming, growing of bananas, coconut, sorghum and production of honey.
• Horticulture - Plants are grown and hired out or sold from Antara's plant nursery.
• Plastic-welding- A skill mainly learnt by male patients
• Screen-printing: - Used to produce labels, tickets and literature to order and for Antara's work.
• Arts and Crafts - Paintings, cards and other products are made here.
• Textiles - Including jute products, silk painting, wollen garments.
• Information Technology - A small number of computers are used to teach and develop IT skills.
• General work - Some patients prefer to be involved in Kitchen work, assisting staff in the outpatients department or other general work around the centre.

As well as generating income for Antara by producing saleable products, patient receive an incentive in the form of tokens which can be exchanged for food and drink and for those requiring economic support payment for work done is placed in a saving fund for use on discharge.

Rehabilitation Centres

In 2005 Antara was given land and a well-repaired building in a neighbouring district of West Bengal, by a charity which had ceased operation. This has been nicknamed 'White Cross Bari (house)' after the previous charity and has become Antara's second major centre.

As well as providing the usual outpatient services to a growing part of the local community, the White Cross Bari is to be a rehabilitation centre and home for destitute patients. Some residents here come through the government after time spent in jails. These individuals may not have a criminal record but were temporarily placed in custody for the protection of the community or themselves. Antara has agreed to rehabilitate such patients in an ongoing cooperation with a link-NGO.