During the Chinese Lunar New Year season, in view of the changing epidemic situation, many of our service users chose to stay at the Yilan Education and Nursing Institute to spend a warm holidays time with the social workers and educare givers. For this reason, the Yilan Education and Nursing Institute arranged the Eden Annual Banquet for the service users to gather with our staff to enjoy a delicious meal and feel the lively atmosphere of Chinese Lunar New Year.

Photo: YilanEducation and Nursing Institutehas planned a supermarket mobile shopping truck to the institution, so that our service users can enjoy the fun of shopping. Abao likes bread and biscuits the most.

Among the service users, Abao with severe intellectual disability, who is 41 years old and did not return home for New Year's Eve. Under the multiple considerations of Abao’s mother, in order to avoid the risk of infection after returning home, she decided to let Abao stay at the institution to spend the Chinese Lunar New Year with his friends. Originally, Abao was taken care of by his parents together, but after his father passed away, his mother was unable to take care of him on her own, so 12 years ago, Abao came to Yilan Education and Nursing Institute to receive 24-hours residential services. At first, Abao was unable to adapt to the residential life and was often in conflict with his peers because he could not control his emotions, and even showed behaviors such as hitting, self-harm, and constant agitation. However, under the care and companionship of the social worker and the staff, Abao gradually developed a sense of trust and security, and adapted to group life. He not only gets along well with his peers, but also becomes a caring helper for the educare givers, helping to organize the environment, wipe down tables, and collect clothes. These changes also gave Abao a sense of accomplishment.

Photo: Yilan Education and Nursing Institutehas planned a variety of exercise classes for service users to strengthen their muscles and bones, and one of Abao's favorite activities is big dragon ball.

In addition, although Abao is staying in the institution, his mother who loves him very much will visits him every month and takes him out to go shopping, which makes Abao as an expert shopper, look forward to the monthly shopping trips with his mother. However, after the epidemic had warmed up, her mother was worried that Abao would not be able to wear the mask for a long time, so she reduced her chances of going out with him. Fortunately, there is now a supermarket mobile shopping truck that comes to the institution and can satisfy Abao's needs and pleasures. From the selection of items to the checkout, Abao's face shows a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Now, Abao is not only familiar with the residential life, but also happily shares with her mother every month what happened in the institution. His mother was happy to see the changes in Abao, and not only she is confident with the services that provide by our social worker and the educare giver, but also she is relieved to see Abao living in the institution.

Photo: With the care and companionship of the social workers and educare givers, Abao, a service user of Yilan Education and Nursing Institute, is now emotionally stable, gets along well with his peers, and has even become a good helper to the educare givers.

Eden Foundation indicated that Yilan ducation and Nursing Institutehas been serving the local community for nearly 20 years, and its main service targets are persons with severe, extreme or multiple physical and mental disabilities. Not only do we provide daily care and self-care training, but we also provide the service users with the opportunity to learn various talents through the guidance of professional instructors. We also pay attention to the individual needs of each service user and arrange relevant courses or activities for them to help them develop their potential, find the value of life, and gain more confidence and goals for themselves. Caring for the persons with disabilities is a lifelong burden and responsibility for families. Eden will be a supportive force for families on this long road to care for the persons with disabilities together.