A total of 550 caregivers as part of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust’s Community Mental Health Project participated in an annual day function here on Saturday.
The function was aimed at identifying mental healthproblems, spreading awareness of them and providing treatment and rehabilitating caregivers.
Minister of Cooperation ‘Sellur’ K. Raju’s wife R. Jayanthi and Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar were the chief guests.
The Commissioner said that early identification of mental health problems was essential.
“This annual meeting of parents of children with special needs is an important gateway to normalising conversation about mental health. Most parents come from low-economic backgrounds. We regularly have discussions about mental health with the community. We also teach the caregivers sustainable work so that they can afford medicines and be economically sound,” said K.S.P. Janardhan Babu, the programme coordinator.
Loans for caregivers
Five caregivers were given loans of ₹ 10,000 each so that they could begin animal rearing businesses to sustain themselves economically.
The project conducted in association with Andheri-Hilfe Bonn, a German non-governmental organisation, saw a goodturnout and several rounds of interesting discussions.
