A Visit to Ravenswood Village

After travelling by train to the lovely village of Crowthorne in Berkshire, I was greeted by Alan Manley, the Operational lead and Anthony Shaw, Fundraising director at Norwood.

Established in 1795, Norwood is the Jewish community’s oldest charity and has had Royal Patronage since 1815.

We talked about the history of Ravenswood (Norwood) and it’s small beginnings from 1953, when four Jewish families took over the Ravenswood estate, with the aim of providing residential care and education for their children with learning disabilities. Today, Ravenswood Village provides person centred care and support for around 130 adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities through both residential care and supported living services in a community setting. There are approximately 300 carers working there. 

The homes are operated by Norwood and the care is funded by local authorities, but the charity is very dependent on supporter donations for additional therapeutic support and Jewish cultural provision to enable residents to live life as they choose to.  Norwood provides practical, emotional and therapeutic support to neurodivergent children and their families. This includes families impacted by learning disabilities and autism. 

The adult services primarily provide both Residential and Supported Living services for adults with learning disabilities. Many of these adults additionally have other conditions such as autism, complex health needs, mental health, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. 

I was shown around the rather large village area and saw all the separate group houses, the hydrotherapy pool, the café, the synagogue and some of the wonderful art projects that are being created.

The tour included an introduction to the gorgeous horses of the RDA which has a branch at the village for riding both for Ravenswood members as well as other disabled people.

Later on, I sat in on a session given by Emma Jolliffe who is an Oral Health educator for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust. It was attended by nine members of the village staff.

Essentially, the session covered how to assess Oral care needs and how to assist with simple tooth brushing and the use of Fluoride toothpaste. Diet was addressed as well  with advice to substitute savory  and fruit snacks for sugary snacks. It was accepted that this can be  challenge as can arranging Dental care for some residents.

There  is a healthy eating policy and an educational programme to promote healthier eating among residents at Ravenswood, especially as the meals and dietary intake of residents are different in each individual home. It can be challenging at times to try to change a resident’s diet when they have set routines or food is used as a reward. Religion, culture and medical problems  also have to be taken into account.

 Most residents attend the Community Dental Clinics. Some have their own GDP who they visit sometimes with their families. Occasionally treatment is carried out under GA/sedation at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The general aims of the Oral Healthcare Improvement Programme (OHIP) are:

• Update the Oral Health care assessment for each resident annually

• Update the summary report on the dental status of all residents at each home annually

• Support all residents in receiving dental care at regular intervals by appropriate Healthcare professionals according to their needs

• Provide appropriate training to assist staff in meeting the oral health care needs of the residents

• Advise and support staff in the provision of Daily Oral Health Care

• Advise staff on healthy eating 

There are regular training sessions for the staff re: dental care, but sometimes these events are poorly attended and they are not mandatory.

Alpha Omega London Charitable Trust has been supporting the oral health assessments and dental hygiene programmes at Norwood for many years. Last year’s donation was around £6800 which went towards the Oral health Education and occasionally dental care packs.

Anthony and Alan were very pleased to meet a representative of Alpha Omega as there have been few visits in the past few years.

Norwood receives funding from local authorities for each resident supported, but the level of funding received falls far short of the true cost of their care. They are very dependent on charitable donations to make up the rather large shortfall.

The care offered here is of the highest level and is a frontrunner for teaching and educating those who are involved in this most rewarding field… A true manifestation of Tikun Olam!