This Carers Week (9–15 June), Edinburgh charity LifeCare is celebrating the extraordinary contribution of unpaid carers and encouraging more people to access the help available to them.
Every day, thousands of unpaid carers across Edinburgh provide practical, emotional and personal care to family members, friends, neighbours and loved ones. Many do not recognise themselves as carers, yet they play a vital role in helping people remain independent, connected and well within their communities.
LifeCare has been supporting local people for 85 years and, since launching its dedicated carers wellbeing programme in 2022, has welcomed hundreds of unpaid carers through free wellbeing activities, social opportunities and peer support. The charity also provides more than 19,200 hours of respite each year, helping carers take a break from their responsibilities, focus on their own wellbeing and recharge.
As pressure on health and social care services continues, unpaid carers are increasingly carrying greater responsibility for those they care for. LifeCare sees first-hand the impact this can have on carers’ physical health, mental wellbeing and social connections.
Through free activities including exercise, yoga, meditation, creative arts, massage, hairdressing and social gatherings, carers are given the opportunity to do something for themselves while connecting with others who understand the realities of caring.
Recent feedback highlights the difference these activities make. Ninety per cent of carers said the programme gives them something positive to look forward to, 86% said it allows them to do something for themselves, and 81% reported meeting others in similar situations, helping reduce isolation and build lasting friendships.
One unpaid carer said:
“It would not have been possible for me to care without these classes. I have made friends, learned new skills and taken care of myself when I didn’t feel like it.”
Another added:
“Without LifeCare and the classes I would be completely isolated. Most of my friendships have arisen through LifeCare carers classes.”
LifeCare would like to thank the Short Breaks Fund, administered by Shared Care Scotland, whose generous funding has helped make these free health and wellbeing activities possible for local unpaid carers.
To hear directly from a local carer and learn more about the growing importance of unpaid carers, watch LifeCare’s special Carers Week video on social media and discover why these activities have become a lifeline for so many people.
Find Out More
If you regularly help a family member, friend or neighbour because of age, illness, disability, frailty or a long-term condition, you may be an unpaid carer.
To find out more about LifeCare’s free activities and support for unpaid carers, call 0131 343 0940, visit our website or pop into the LifeCare Hub on Cheyne Street, Stockbridge.
