Residência Raquel Ribeiro

Residência Raquel Ribeiro is intended for the temporary accommodation of people with limited mobility who need rehabilitation care and stabilisation of their overall health, bringing together in one place several offers:

• Carer Respite
• Short-stay Residential Care and
• Convalescence
• Social Discharges
• Rehabilitation

Designed for a 4,000 m² site in the heart of Lisbon's green lung – Parque Florestal de Monsanto – the rehabilitation project for the former Rajá factory building, donated to Santa Casa by Nestlé in 2014, set out to deliver a facility for people with limited mobility, aiming to:

• Meet the needs for comfort and quality of life of those in situations of dependency
• Provide care, while giving those who care a period of pause, rest and recovery

The rehabilitation carried out by Santa Casa was based on the core principles of building sustainability and eco-efficiency, recognised by the award of the 2023 National Urban Rehabilitation Prize – Best Sustainability Solution.

Residência Raquel Ribeiro aims to be a forward-looking facility, supporting the use of structures that combine social and therapeutic responses with comfort — including a wellness centre, a therapeutic pool, an outdoor auditorium for people with limited mobility, and all the necessary support infrastructure, as well as outdoor parking.

The surroundings also support outdoor activities offering a direct connection with nature, contributing to the health, well-being and social life of users and their families.

Residência Raquel Ribeiro stands out for being an integrated response:

• Care provided by a multidisciplinary team
• Intervention focused on the needs and expectations of the service user and family
• Individual intervention plan
• Support for autonomy
• Support for well-being and quality of life
• Family involvement in the care plan

Maria Raquel Ribeiro had an intense and long career in the social field, starting back in 1949 at the Institute for Family Welfare. Between 1951 and 1971, she worked at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, where she led the Social Work Service. In 1990, she became a Founding Associate of the Portuguese Association for Victim Support, going on to serve, for 10 years, as a leader of the National Union of Social Work Professionals and as one of the main drivers of the Portuguese Committee of the International Council on Social Welfare, which she chaired in 1969.

On 1 October 2012, the International Day of Older Persons, the Portuguese Association of Psychogerontology, in partnership with Santa Casa and the Montepio Foundation, created — as a tribute to Raquel Ribeiro — the Dra. Maria Raquel Ribeiro Active Ageing Award, with the aim of recognising annually the lives and activities of people over 80 who continue to pursue meaningful professional or civic work. Naming Santa Casa's new residence in Monsanto after Raquel Ribeiro is also a way of honouring Maria Raquel Ribeiro (1915-2022), a woman who devoted much of her life to good causes.