Our Adult Carers Service is available to unpaid carers over the age of 25 who are supporting adults in the North West Area of Edinburgh.
Your own health and wellbeing is essential to help you with your caring role. Caring for someone can be a very rewarding experience, but it can also be demanding, stressful and lonely. Capital Carers recognise this and we are here to offer support; help you feel valued and listened to and to enable you to have a life outside of your caring role.
We have a dedicated team of volunteers who have experience of what it means to be a carer. Our volunteers are integral to the support we offer because they help with our activities and offer a befriending service.
For more information contact:
Rosie Moorhead, Adult Services Coordinator
07407 427773, rosie@nwcarers.org.uk
For upcoming events see our facebook page
What is an Adult Carer?
An Adult Carer is an unpaid carer who provides care and support to a family member, a friend or a neighbour who would struggle to cope without support. The person you care for may need your help and support due to age-related difficulties, long term illness, disability, mental health condition, or issues with substance misuse.
“I enjoy the company at Capital Carers it helps me to meet up with everyone who understands what we are going through.”
Am I carer?
Many people don’t see themselves as a ‘carer’. They simply see themselves as a husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, neighbour or friend looking after someone. Recognising your caring role is important as it helps you to access support and other legal and financial benefits you may be entitled to. It does not matter if the person lives with you, are in their own home or in residential care – you are still providing a caring role. Nor does the time you spend caring effect this. It could be a few hours a week to full time care. Below are some examples that you might do to help the person you care for. You might assist with some or all of these:
- Emotional Care – Support by being a listening ear, offering moral support, or simply providing company for someone who is feeling isolated
- Domestic Care – Support with cooking, housework, and shopping
- Physical Care – Support with lifting, assisting, and helping when moving around
- Personal Care – Support with dressing, washing, and toileting
- Health Care – Support with managing illness or a condition, or helping to administer medication
- Communication Care – Supporting or assisting with a listening or communication impairment.
- Financial Care – Support with any financial affairs
If this sounds like you Capital Carers can offer you support and advice on what to do next or help with your caring role. You can self refer to our services or ask a family member, a friend or a professional to do this on your behalf.
How We Can Help Support You?
- Face to face support
- Home visits
- Telephone support
- Monthly Carer Support Groups – All Adult Carers, Former Carers and a Male Focus Group
- Regular Walking Group
- We provide information on Carers Rights, Adult Support Plans and Emergency Planning and how to access these.
- We signpost to other professionals and organisations that can assist you further with your caring role.
- Short Breaks / Respite Programme of Activities
Dementia Focussed Support
We offer a Side By Side Project – ‘A Befriending and Peer Support Project for People Affected by Dementia, or Cognitive Impairment.
Our Side by Side Programme of Events /Activities provides opportunities for the carer to participate in Peer support groups, as well as social, recreational, educational, practical and information events. Some of our group activities are side by side enabling the person they care for to attend too, with the aim of increasing the well-being of Carer and cared for, whilst remaining social together for longer.
Our Side by Side Project is supported with funding from The Life Changes Trust
“The Side by Side project made me feel I was not alone in caring for my husband also I have made many new friends who understand my position and feelings.”
Sample of Activities offered
We are carer led and our activities reflect carer’s interest and input. We are always looking for new suggestions and are keen to know what works well or if it didn’t.
- Walking Group
- Exercise Group
- Dementia friendly Singing Group
- Support Groups
- Chips and Chat nights
- Shindigs
- Festive Parties with entertainment
- Reminiscence
- Intergenerational events
- Line Dancing
- Quiz
- Bingo
- Movie Matinee
- Craft Groups
- Outings – Barge trips, Lunch outings, Museums, Theatre, Poppy factory, Victorian School Room
- Scavenger/treasure hunt
- Tea and chat
- Aromatherapy
- Jewellery Making
- Guest Speakers
- Legal Matters
- Cooking Skills
- IT Skills
Unpaid Carer Survey
We carried out a survey with questions which relate to our carer outcomes and what we hope carers will obtain from our service. The response and comments from the survey highlight the importance of attending our service and how much this has contributed to sustaining their caring role and reduce isolation. This is a fantastic response for us, knowing that our carers are getting peer support, making friends and seeing each other as valuable.
Q1. I have someone who will listen to me
100% of our carers feel listened to
(78.5% Strongly Agree, 21.5% Agree)
Q2. I feel valued and respected
100% reported they Strongly Agree
Q3. I have an increased sense of wellbeing
87 % reported they had an increase
(53% Strongly Agree, 33% Agree)
13 % neither Agree or Disagree
Q4. I have more confidence to make choices
73% agreed with this
(53% Strongly Agree, 20% Agree)
27% Neither agree or disagree.
Q5. I feel supported to help me face the challenges ahead
100% of our carers felt supported by us to face the challenges
(67% Strongly Agreed, 33% Agree)
Q6. My life outside my caring role has improved
80% agreed to this
(40% Strongly Agree, 40% Agree)
20% Neither Agree or Disagree
Q7. I have made friendships since participating in the Side by Side Project
94% agree with this
(87% Strongly Agree, 7% Agree)
6% Neither Agree or Disagree
Q8. I would recommend the Side by Side service to other carers who look after someone with dementia.
100% said they would, and all strongly agreed.
Q9. Please give an example of how peer support has made a difference to your life
I enjoy the company it helps me to meet up with everyone who understands what we are going through
Speaking to staff and other carers, feeling I am not alone and any problem however small is listened to
Could not have survived without the help of Capital Carers
Good to socialise in a friendly environment
I would be lost without all the support, always there to listen to me and when I have a problem you can give the centre a call.
It has given me more confidence to ask questions
Sharing of useful information, knowing you are not alone
During our meetings we (as in other members) can all help each other with advice and support
Exchanging experiences and ideas of how to support partner
It has prevented me from becoming introverted and isolated. It has given me a valuable means of networking with both the Staff, other carers and those they care for.
Makes you realise there are lots of people with similar problems
The Side by Side project made me feel I was not alone in caring for my husband also I have made many new friends who understand my position and feelings
It is so important to keep in contact with others in similar situation. It has helped me tremendously.
Very supportive and understanding even when my husband passed away
It has brought me out of my shell and I speak up a bit more than I did at the start and I also have made a few friends.
