St Andrews House and Victoria Quay in Edinburgh will be lit up in yellow at 6pm tonight to mark Care Home Day.
Care Home Day is an online campaign which aims to raise the profile of care homes across Scotland.
The day is organised by Scottish Care and supported by the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Government. Together, they are calling for individuals, care providers and partner organisations to join them on social media to share good news stories from their local care homes using the hashtag #carehomeday20.
The day is an opportunity to recognise the crucial role of care homes in our communities and to give thanks to all the care home staff.
The prevalence of COVID-19 makes it especially important to provide recognition to the care home workforce on Care Home Day this year.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has sent a message of thanks to all care hom staff:
This pandemic has highlighted how compassionate and dedicated this workforce is. Coronavirus has significantly impacted care homes, threatening the lives of the staff and residents of care homes across the country. Despite this, staff in care homes have come together to combat this virus, protecting, supporting and caring for our vulnerable residents.
Therefore, Scottish Care wholly welcomes the decision to light up these buildings for Care Home Day. This initiative is also supported by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership. This is a positive token of appreciation and shows support for the care home sector during these unprecedented times.
The buildings will be lit up in the colour yellow, which was chosen to symbolise the flame of a candle. This relates to another initiative by Scottish Care – ‘Candle for Care’, whereby candles are lit every Tuesday at 7pm to express gratitude to all those who provide care and support during the COVID-19 crisis and in memory of all those who have died from COVID-19.