About MEREK

Introducing the Rehabilitation Centre for Physically Disabled People

Our mission

Our mission at the Rehabilitation Centre for Physically Disabled People , (www.merek.hu) is to achieve that people with disabilities possess real self evaluation, to use their opportunities in a wise way, and  also to become conscious of the fact that without sufficient expression of their needs they will not be able to live an independent life even with professional help.

Using the available financial resources and the ideas of our colleagues we created an environment adapted to the personal needs of our clients. Our professionals possess and practice the most developed techniques in rehabilitation. The goal of our professional programme of Complex Rehabilitation is to offer opportunities to people with physical disabilities to find their place both in society and private life as well. We are trying to be everywhere to shape the thinking and enhance the activities of introverted people. Our suggestions are present in new legislation, and we extend our professional knowledge of several decades in everyday practices with other govermental organizations and NGO-s as in presentations and conferences too.  

We believe that disability is not an inherent and inseparable quality of a person, but it is also a responsibility of the society to avoid the exclusion of its members. It is our job to change the society's attitude - in such a way that less people – would experience disability as a state of exclusion. 

About MEREK

MEREK is operated and financed by the General Directorate for Social and Child Protection, which organization is operated by the Ministry of Human Capacitiy's. The goal of the MEREK is to help the social integration of people with physical disabilities through complex rehabilitation services. Our professional programme was one of the first in Hungary to set the integration and independence of people with physical disabilities as its core mission. 

Currently we offer rehabilitation services to about 200 people with physical and multiple disabilities employing 110 full-time personnel. For a part of our service users we offer rehabiliatation sevices in our new day care rehabilitation division Tomorrow’s House (see at www.holnaphaza.hu). 

New clients are examined and personal development plans are compiled and reviewed every 6 months. The maximum duration of stay at MEREK is 3 years that can be extended with another 2 years if necessary. The length of service in the Tomorrow's House fits the rehabilitation needs of the client, but it is mostly around one year.Accommodation in care homes in Budapest outside MEREK is offered for those clients who are able to live an independent life without personal care.

Professional groups and services

The organisational structure of MEREK was developed according to the principle of Complex Rehabilitation. The different branches of Complex Rehabilitation operate in separate professional teams offering rehabilitation services on different fields: 

• Personal Care Team: accommodation with or without personal care, medical services; one -to- one personal assistance
• Physiotherapy Team: physiotherapy, sport activities;
• Social Team: social rehabilitation, individual and group services, spare-time activities, temporary social services
• Psychology Team: personal case management, group work, evaluation of skills;
• Occupational Therapy-Group: employment evaluation, probation and permanent workplaces;
• Computer Skills and Pedagogy Group: computer courses, preparation for independent life, communication skills, foreign language, media, basal therapy; 

There is also an integrated school for people with physical disabilities and non-disabled students offering secondary and vocational scholastic education. (www.addeturiskola.hu).  

In order to achieve successful rehabilitation the teams are working closely with each-other and have regularly team meetings to discuss individual cases as well as other day-to-day and strategic questions. Individual development plans are worked out in interdisciplinary teams in which take part the sevice users as well.

Complementary services

Besides Complex Rehabilitation, MEREK also offers complementary services to enchance the rehabilitation process and to raise the quality of life of our clients. Internet access is provided to enable physically disabled people to get the latest information about employment opportunities, thus getting closer to the open labour market. Our strategic partner Addetur Foundation (www.addetur.hu) offers permanent accommodation in a  accessible familiar environment.

With the help of an EU-financed Phare programme MEREK established a sports- and life aids workshop. The work is done with the professional support of physiotherapist and an orthopedist  using ICF-based (International Classification of Functions and Disability) evaluation. The services of the workshop and the available equipment can be found at www.gurulo.hu. We also use EU-funds to create a national network of such workshops offering mobility equipments to find the personal needs of  people with disabilities 

Partnerships

MEREK gives place to several NGOs for people with physical disabilities. They offer complementary services to service users and act as interest groups in the fields of accessible transportation and social integration Relationships with national and international professional organisations, educational and medical organisations are also very good. Good relationships with local governments are gaining importance.

Contact informations for MEREK and its services

For more information do not hesitate to contact one of our staff member on avaible contact adresses or numbers listed below:

web: www.merek.hu,; e-mail: titkarsag@merek.hu 

phone: +36-1-212-5704; 

fax: +36-1-212-4595;

postal address: H-1022 Budapest, Marczibányi tér 3.