BUILDING THE PIRAN PARAPLEGICS' HOME IN PACUG HAS STARTED Building has started on the Piran Paraplegics' Home in Pacug, which will be used for renewed rehabilitation and seaside holidays for Slovene paraplegics. We paraplegics are one of the most severely handicapped invalid groups in Slovenia, and we still do not have suitable facilities for such activities. For almost 25 years we carried out our annual renewed rehabilitation in simple conditions in Pineta at Novigrad (on the Croatian Adriatic coast), but this was interrupted in autumn 1993, when Croatian war refugees occupied our buildings. Since then renewed rehabilitation, which is of exceptional importance for preserving our health, has been carried out in the Slovene thermal spas of Laško and Terme Čatež. By building this home, we will again move into a coastal environment, although of course those of our members who prefer to utilize their renewed rehabilitation in the above-mentioned spas will be enabled to do so. The foundations of our new home (on the site of the former Plamen Holiday Home of Kropa) are already laid. With the removal of the old central building (actually, due to the requirements of preserving the cultural heritage, it will be replaced by another one almost completely identical to it) and with the demolition of the old wooden bungalows, our most significant investment began to be realized on 18 October 2000 - at the same time, this is the most useful investment for all Slovene paraplegics. The home will be situated in a peaceful, beautifully green part of Pacug, where we will be able to bathe as we like, far removed from inquisitive looks, in a swimming pool filled with sea water, and this will be possible even in somewhat bad weather. Those who wish by all means to bathe in the sea will have suitable transport available. This 6000 m2 site has cherry trees, olives, cypresses and Mediterranean bushes already growing on it. The entire complex will comprise: the central building, the medical treatment block, holiday apartments, the swimming pool with sea water, a games area (for handball) and underground garages. The arrangement of the buildings is adapted to the desired extent of the accommodation available and to appropriate accessibility by means of wheelchairs. There will be 84 beds in the home - in 2-, 3- and 4-bedded rooms - plus 68 in the holiday apartments and 16 in the central building. THE BUILDING OF THE HOME IN INDIVIDUAL PHASES December 1999 - overall permission obtained **** 2000 - building of phase I October 2001 - building of phase II March 2003 - purchase of equipment September 2003 - completion of installing the equipment September 2003 - technical inspection December 2003 - obtaining of permission to use the complex FINANCING THE HOME The Ministry of Employment, Family and Social Matters The Ministry of Health The Institute of Health Insurance The Foundation of Invalid and Humanitarian Organizations Financial support from the Association of Paraplegics of Slovenia Broad social and political support for building the Paraplegics' Home within Slovenia and on the Slovene coast was given by: The Committee for Invalids' Problems in the Slovene Parliament, in 1993 and 1999 The Committee for Invalid Protection in the Slovene government, in 1993 The Office for Invalids in the Slovene government, in 1999 The Council for Invalids in the Slovene government, in 2001. It is probably still too early to discuss how the home will be run. Will it be open seasonally or all the year round? It would certainly be sensible from the economic viewpoint to offer some accommodation also to outside enquirers. In fact interest has already been shown by Italian, Czech, Hungarian, Swiss and even Finnish para-plegics. For your easier and better understanding we enclose/include a macquette of the buildings. Material help in all forms and gifts should be sent to the giro account: 50102-678-50615. Naturally the building of such a demanding complex, the cost of which will exceed ……… DEM / ……..$ * (i.e. approximately 1000 million SIT), will not be possible without state support and other financial resources. We will need the broad socio-political support of both individuals and experts, who will know how to provide support in appropriate places and to represent the importance of these material advantages, which are so utterly essential for us. Consequently we have founded the Council for Building the Piran Paraplegics' Home, which has already held its first session. It is composed of the following members: President: Mirko Bandelj, General Secretary of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (RS), Vice-President: Ivan Peršak, President of the Association of Paraplegics of Slovenia (ZPS), Secretary: Igor Šimenc, and Janez Obermajer, director of the GDV building firm (the contractors). Honorary members are: Dr. Anton Grizold, Minister of Defence, Dr Rado Bohinc, Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr Vlado Drnovski, Minister of Employment, Family and Social Affairs, and Ms Stanka Tutta, Undersecretary of State, Dr Franc Rode, Archbishop and Metropolitan Bishop, Ms Vojka Stular, Mayoress of Piran, Ms Alenka Bratuša, adviser in the Ministry of Finance, and Marko Sok, Director of the SKB Bank. First of all the Council must prepare a sound financial plan with long-term state loans, bank loans, leasing loans, donors and other financial sources. The Council members firstly viewed the site and the building of the future Paraplegics' Home. Then the ZPS President, Ivan Peršak, briefly acquainted them with the consequences of spinal injuries and the great importance - in maintaining paraplegics' health - of renewed rehabilitation at the coast. In short, when the primary rehabilitation is completed, it is necessary to ensure that the invalid remains in the best possible health, and to prevent various medical complications. This is achieved by renewed rehabilitation, which is combined with medical, physiotherapeutic, psycho-social, recreational and social activities. The coastal climate also has an optimal effect on the respiratory organs, strengthens the skin, prevents and heals bedsores (the sun and sea water), promotes the functioning of the urinary tract and of partially atrophied muscles. At their meeting the Council members also spoke about the further strategy of building the home. Of course this strategy must be primarily directed towards obtaining funds, and members must expend most efforts for this. Consequently, it is highly significant that the District Community of Piran is kindly disposed towards the building of our home. Thus according to what the Mayoress Vojka Stular has said, there should not be any special complications in obtaining the remaining necessary documentation and in communal matters, even though this home will be situated on the very edge of a Countryside Park. And it is precisely this region that has the most pleasant climate of the entire Slovene coast (which is slightly over 40 km long). Jože Globokar