ABOUT WOODSIDE SPECIAL CARE CENTRE
A residential home
providing 24 hour care for 80 profoundly intellectually and physically challenged residents.
Woodside Sanctuary was started in 1976 by a group of concerned parents who were not able to find suitable care for their children who were intellectually and physically challenged. Together they found a funder who was willing to assist them launch the project of a residential home for profoundly intellectually and physically challenged children in Rondebosch East.
The home was to provide 24 hour nursing care as well as therapeutic care improve their quality of life and prevent further illnesses and infections. As the years went on, Woodside faced a challenge as there were no places for the residents who were reaching adulthood to feed into and had to learn to understand the behaviours that manifested through adolescence. It was at this point that Woodside Sanctuary changed their name to Woodside Special Care Centre for children and young adults.
Over the past 40 years the organization has grown from strength to strength providing a range of services to improve the levels of comfort and responsiveness of residents as well as improving their quality of life through nurse care, physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapies.
Mission
The excellent treatment and
care of profoundly intellectually
disabled residents through:
- the provision by excellent staff of an integrated service of loving and stimulating care
- the protection and empowerment of the residents and their development as individuals
- the support of residents’ families
- the provision of support to profoundly intellectually disabled people and their carers in the broader community
Vision
To be recognised as the centre of excellence for the treatment and care of profoundly intellectually disabled people in the Western Cape.
Our History
Woodside Sanctuary
Woodside Special Care Centre, previously known as Woodside Santuary, was established in 1976. In the early 1970’s the then Chairman of Woodside Sanctuary a residential home for children with profound intellectual disabilities situated in Johannesburg approached a friend in Cape Town to ask if there was any chance of starting a sanctuary in Cape Town as they were receiving a number of applications from the Cape. A public meeting was called to assess the need for opening a similar home in Cape Town. At that meeting attended by about 25 people, were Mrs Yvonne Friedman, Mr Tony Nielsen and Mr John Hastie.
