Summary
The Project offered unpaid carers an opportunity to get some time away from their caring role by giving them access to a range of free group and individual activities, which were designed to provide some breathing space and reduce the pressures on their caring role over the festive period.
What Surviving Christmas did
The Project offered a range of activities, some of which were delivered in and around the Midlothian area, while others were delivered through digital platforms such as Zoom and MS Teams. The online activities included carers Christmas craft workshops, which were complimented by a high tea delivery, carers coffee morning and carer’s mindfulness and relaxation sessions.
Traditional, face to face activities included carer’s lunches at a local Italian restaurant, guided tours of Rosslyn Chapel, a festive light display, coffee and cake at a local cafe and tickets for a local adventure park.
Most of the online activities were targeted at carers, but were open if family, friends or the cared for person wanted to participate. The other activities on offer were open to carers and the cared for, as well as other family members, friends or a companion. This provided some flexibility and allowed the carer to choose who they wanted to share their break with.
Our Surviving Christmas Project was promoted through VOCAL newsletters, websites and social media posts. The range of breaks available was also listed on our weebreaks.com website and carers were able to note an interest in particular breaks that interested them. The breaks were open to all carers who were registered with VOCAL but also those carers who were not known to VOCAL. This allowed us to attract a large number of new carers and, as a result, introduced new carers to the broad range of additional support and services that VOCAL were able to offer. All new carer were offered the opportunity to complete an Adult Carter Support Plan (ACSP) and were able to identify other areas of support that would benefit their caring role.
The Project was a great success and demand for the breaks was well over subscribed. We had hoped to offer a broader range of activities as part of our project, but some breaks had to be cancelled due to Covid restrictions. Despite this we were still able to offer and exciting programme of activities and in doing so meet the three principle outcomes associated with the Creative Breaks funding programme.
What VOCAL Midlothian has learned
As with our other short breaks programmes, there were a number of specific things that we learned as a result of delivering our Surviving Christmas Project during the Covid 19 pandemic, given the significant restrictions that were in place at the time. These include the following:
Design a programme of breaks and activities that is flexible, can be adapted and changed, if necessary, at very short notice.
Design breaks that can be delivered online or remotely if possible making it easier to adapt and change breaks should new restrictions come into force.
Have a plan B, a back up plan that can be implemented if circumstances change and we are not able to deliver all or part of the original programme.
Don’t book and pay for activities, breaks too far in advance, as things could potentially change at very short notice.
Try to arrange a good proportion of the breaks and activities outdoors, within the local authority boundary, where social distancing measures can be implemented with less difficulty.
Avoid large group activities and try to arrange breaks in a way that allows carers and the person(s) they care for to socially distance and avoid too much contact with other people.
Expect the unexpected and the potential for carers to withdraw or cancel at the last minute due to illness, infection or changes to their family/caring situation.
How VOCAL Midlothian has benefitted from the funding
Delivering our Surviving Christmas Project was very difficult given the restrictions that were in place as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Like most projects, we had to cancel or suspend a number of our planned activities due to travel restrictions that were introduced towards the end of last year. These restrictions prevented carers from travelling out with the local authority boundary to use some of the break that we had planned and purchased, while the closure of most businesses also prevented us from using a lot of the breaks we had available over the winter months. This meant we had to extend some of our breaks into spring period, once some of our break providers were able to open again.
Despite these significant challenges our organisation has developed and benefited from the experience of delivering this Creative Breaks Project. Specific benefits and improvements include:
Developing new relationships with local businesses and break providers, which resulted in us receiving almost £450 worth of free or discounted breaks to compliment our Surviving Christmas Project.
Attracting a large number of new carers and, as a result, being able to introduce these carers to the broad range of support that was available from our organisation.
Developing the resilience, skills and capacity of our staff and bringing the team closer together as a result of pulling together to deliver our programme of breaks and services through some very difficult and testing times.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
75 carers will have a break from caring role by participating in a range of individual and/or group activities.
60 cared for adults will have benefited from the support and activities that are offered to carers
75% of carers will have reported improved physical and mental wellbeing
Results
84 carers and 79 cared fors benefited from our Surviving Christmas Project. Some carers benefited from up to three different breaks/activities, while other carers benefited from one or two breaks. Of those carers who participated in Project 76% reported improved physical and mental wellbeing.
Case study
The carer was 49 year old married man who cared for his 39 year old wife who had spina bifida, silicosis and diabetes. He also had two children aged 7 and 9 so had to balance a fairly significant and busy caring role with maintaining the house and looking after his children. His wife had limited mobility and needed constant support with dressing, toilet needs, medication and general care.
The carer was new to VOCAL and approached us for assistance in December 2020 when things were starting to get on top him and he was becoming increasingly stressed, anxious and frustrated with his caring situation. He did not know where to turn for help and support and felt isolated and vulnerable with no one to talk to or confide in. He wanted some advice and support in his caring role and something good to look forward to that he could share with his wife and children.
The carer completed an Adult Carer Support Plan with VOCAL and received some advice and support on packages of care for his wife, as well as a referral to the Council’s Social Care Service. In addition to this, the carer also received a voucher for a carers lunch (Eat Out to Chill Out) at a local Italian restaurant, which he was able to enjoy with his wife. He also received a family pass for Conifox Adventure Park where he was able to enjoy relaxing day out with his wife and children.
In his personal outcomes review and service evaluation, the carer reported big improvements in his caring role, as well as his own health and wellbeing. His wife’s care needs were being addressed by social services and he was now getting a regular break from caring as a result of using an additional VOCAL Wee Breaks grant to purchase an annual membership for the Zoo and the National Trust for Scotland. He reported that these changes were having a positive impact on him and his family and he was now able to spend more quality time with his wife and children.
Outcome
75 carers will have a break from caring role by participating in a range of individual and/or group activities.
60 cared for adults will have benefited from the support and activities that are offered to carers.
80% of carers will have reported an improvement in their social wellbeing
Results
84 carers and 79 cared fors benefited from our Surviving Christmas Project. Some carers benefited from up to three different breaks/activities, while other carers benefited from one or two breaks. Of those carers who participated in Project 78% reported an improvement in their social wellbeing.
Case study
The carer was a 36 year old woman with multiple caring roles. She cared for her 86 year old grandmother, 62 year old mother as well as her 10 year old son. The carer’s grandmother was frail and had significant mobility and cognitive restrictions, while the carer’s mother suffered from osteoporosis and had early signs of onset dementia. The carer had two sons aged 6 and 10, but her eldest son was on the autistic spectrum and had speech and language difficulties.
With such a complex and time consuming caring role the carer was constantly on the go and found she had very little time for herself. The carer also felt she did not spend enough time with her sons and that the demands of her caring roles was resulting in her neglecting her sons needs at times. This was particularly difficult and stressful as her eldest son needed a great deal of one-to-one emotional support and guidance.
The carer had found the winter months particularly difficult as schools and services were closed due to Covid restrictions and there were limited things she could do with her sons. The carer found she was stuck in the house for long periods of time and when she wasn’t in the house she was trailing her sons around to her mothers and grandmothers house so she could to attend to their needs and fulfil her caring roles.
The carer had been registered with VOCAL since 2019, had completed an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP) and received a range of support from VOCAL including welfare benefits and power of attorney advice, as well as training on caring for someone with dementia. She wanted to spend some quality time with her sons, but also find opportunities to meet other people and spend some time away from her caring role. The carer received tickets for a local children’s adventure park and for a festive lights display, which she attended with her children and mother respectively. She also took part in our online Christmas craft workshops and received a complimentary craft pack and high tea delivery to the house, while she took part in the workshops with other carers.
In her personal outcomes review and service evaluation the carer described how beneficial the different breaks had been to her and her family at a very difficulty time for all of them. The carer, her mother and children had all thoroughly enjoyed the activities that they had taken part in and she had found the Christmas craft workshops a good way to enjoy some time away from her caring role and meet people in a similar situation to herself. The carer stated that she now understood the need to have a regular break from caring and felt she was better prepared to sustain her caring role as a result of the different elements of support she had received from VOCAL.
Outcome
75 carers will have a break from caring role by participating in a range of individual and/or group activities
60 cared for adults will have benefited from the support and activities that are offered to carers
80% of carers will have reported improved confidence in managing their caring roll
Results
84 carers and 79 cared fors benefited from our Surviving Christmas Project. Some carers benefited from up to three different breaks/activities, while other carers benefited from one or two breaks. Of those carers who participated in Project 76% reported improved confidence in managing their caring role .
Case study
The carer was a 36 year old woman with multiple caring roles. She cared for her 86 year old grandmother, 62 year old mother as well as her 10 year old son. The carer’s grandmother was frail and had significant mobility and cognitive restrictions, while the carer’s mother suffered from osteoporosis and had early signs of onset dementia. The carer had two sons aged 6 and 10, but her eldest son was on the autistic spectrum and had speech and language difficulties.
With such a complex and time consuming caring role the carer was constantly on the go and found she had very little time for herself. The carer also felt she did not spend enough time with her sons and that the demands of her caring roles was resulting in her neglecting her sons needs at times. This was particularly difficult and stressful as her eldest son needed a great deal of one-to-one emotional support and guidance.
The carer had found the winter months particularly difficult as schools and services were closed due to Covid restrictions and there were limited things she could do with her sons. The carer found she was stuck in the house for long periods of time and when she wasn’t in the house she was trailing her sons around to her mothers and grandmothers house so she could to attend to their needs and fulfil her caring roles.
The carer had been registered with VOCAL since 2019, had completed an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP) and received a range of support from VOCAL including welfare benefits and power of attorney advice, as well as training on caring for someone with dementia. She wanted to spend some quality time with her sons, but also find opportunities to meet other people and spend some time away from her caring role. The carer received tickets for a local children’s adventure park and for a festive lights display, which she attended with her children and mother respectively. She also took part in our online Christmas craft workshops and received a complimentary craft pack and high tea delivery to the house, while she took part in the workshops with other carers.
In her personal outcomes review and service evaluation the carer described how beneficial the different breaks had been to her and her family at a very difficulty time for all of them. The carer, her mother and children had all thoroughly enjoyed the activities that they had taken part in and she had found the Christmas craft workshops a good way to enjoy some time away from her caring role and meet people in a similar situation to herself. The carer stated that she now understood the need to have a regular break from caring and felt she was better prepared to sustain her caring role as a result of the different elements of support she had received from VOCAL.