Zdravniški Vestnik (May 2016)
State Protection of War Invalids after the First World War in Slovenia
Abstract
War invalids, war widows and their dependent family members were permanent victims of war. The First World War brought great changes in organized care and treatment of war invalids. At the first post-war census of the Yugoslav population in 1921, Slovenia recorded around 11,500 people with disabilities and about 31,000 war widows with about 50,000 dependent family members. The census was conducted by a professional service within the Ministry for Social Policy.The large increase of the number of war invalids demanded more effective care for them, as they represented not only a material but also a moral and political problem for the country. A more recent disability legislation expanded the rights of war invalids and significantly improved their economic and social status and provided them with various benefits. Above all, the country expanded the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, implemented occupational therapy and trained them for different work, including work in production among other areas. An increasing number of institutions were built that had adopted the disabled into permanent care.
