Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges that carers face, and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. This year, it is held from 11th-17th June.
Borders Care Voice and Borders Carers Centre once again hosted a local event to celebrate Carers Week, on 12th June at the Waverley Castle Hotel in Melrose.
More than 90 people attended the event, including carers, local service providers, and representatives from NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council.
The day included an update from Robert McCulloch-Graham, Chief Officer of the Borders Health and Social Care Partnership, on the local response to the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016.
As part of the Carers Act, there is a duty for local authorities to prepare a short breaks statement in partnership with carers. They need to offer a wide range of different kinds of short breaks and make it clearer to understand and access. It must be published by 31st December 2018. At the event, carers were asked what should be included in the statement, and to give their views on short breaks.
After lunch, there was a variety of activities including new age kurling, a guided walk, a confidence boosting session and a chance for carers to find out what leisure activities are available in the Borders.
Around 6.5 million people in the UK are carers, looking after a parent, partner, child or friend. A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness, mental health problem or who needs extra help as they grow older.
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