We have a team of Carer Support Workers who work closely with carers to support them across a wide range of issues. This support could range from giving information and advice about health and social care services, to assistance with assessments and care planning as part of Self Directed Support. We also support carers with housing concerns or adaptations, future planning, finding ways to combine caring and employment, and with exploring how they can manage the person they care for’s health problems etc. We also support many carers with the sometimes difficult emotional impact of changing relationships with the person they care for.
We support people who are caring for people with physical health problems, who are elderly and frail or who have learning disabilities. We also have a dedicated carer support worker who supports people who care for someone with chronic mental health problems.
We have two dedicated Carer Support Workers who support Parent Carers. A Parent Carer is an adult who provides care for a child with additional support needs for whom they have parental responsibility. We can provide support to Parent Carers even if a medical diagnosis has not been given.
All adults carers in Scotland have the right to an Adult Carer Support Plan under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. You can find out more about the rights of carers set out in the Act in the Scottish Government’s Carers’ Charter.
We can work with you to create an Adult Carer Support Plan identifying what is important to you and what support you need to continue your caring role and to lead a life alongside caring. This involves a conversation that is then recorded in a document. The document is submitted to the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) who will decide if and how they can provide support to meet your needs.
We support carers and the people they care for to understand their financial options and to claim the Benefits they are entitled to. We can assist with completing forms, give advice on how to maximise income and explain what your options are if you think you might have to give up work in order to care for a friend or family member. We can support you with applications to trusts and grant-making bodies for essential items. We do not provide debt counselling but we will make sure you get the help you need if there is a problem for you.
Do you feel that you never get any time to yourself, to relax and do the things you enjoy? Would you like to be able to take a break occasionally from your caring responsibilities? If so, contact us and request a ‘Time for Me’ conversation with our Building Better Breaks Development Worker. They will help you to:
- Think about what type of break from caring would work best in your circumstances.
- Decide what would best meet your needs e.g. leisure membership, hobby equipment, subscription, spa day, weekend away, concert tickets, meal out etc. – the possibilities are endless!
- Find practical solutions to challenges that may prevent you from getting time for yourself.
- Provide information on other services that may assist you to take a break from caring e.g. care providers, replacement care, accessible holiday facilities etc.
- Apply for a Time for Me grant (dependent on available funding) or other financial assistance if necessary.
Phone us on 0131 665 0135 or email: centre@coel.org.uk to request your Time for Me conversation.
Carers of East Lothian are a Respitality Delivery Partner. Respitality is a simple, yet powerful, initiative which offers unpaid carers in Scotland a much-needed break, through partnerships with local hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses who are willing to donate a break free of charge. Respitality is a Scottish Government supported project delivered locally by Carers of East Lothian and coordinated nationally by Shared Care Scotland.
Breaks can be varied – everything from an overnight stay in a hotel, tickets to see a show, an afternoon tea, a massage or tickets to a sporting event. Carers of East Lothian rely on the generosity of local businesses and organisations to donate breaks for carers and then match these breaks to unpaid carers.
If you are a carer who would like to let Respitality make your day, you can find out more and register your interest by completing the following Expression of Interest form.
If you work for an organisation that would like to help us to make an unpaid carers’ day with Respitality, please contact our office on 0131 665 0135 or email: centre@coel.org.uk and ask to speak to our Building Better Breaks Worker, Linda Walker. Through feedback from businesses who support Respitality across Scotland, we know that a partnership not only reinforces brand values but reflects the warm welcome that Scotland is renowned for, the world over.
We run a number of monthly support groups across the county. These are a great opportunity to meet other people in the same situation and to share experiences. Groups are informal and welcoming – as one carer told us “the friendship, the atmosphere & the interaction between us all is great. The realisation other people have the same difficulties is important. It helps to share problems.”
Please visit this page for further details of our different groups.
We run a number of workshops and training events to help carers feel more confident about aspects of caring and to get the information they need to feel confident in their role. These can range from understanding challenging behaviours in dementia to coping with stress to understanding Power of Attorney or Guardianship.
We also run series of workshops for people interested in learning about a range of different issues related to caring. This is particularly helpful for people who think that their caring role may become greater or who are new to the world of benefits and social services and it is a great opportunity to get to know a few other people in similar circumstances.
We also run regular events that give carers the opportunity to take a break from their caring role and be in the company of other carers, trying a new, positive activity.
Counselling is a confidential space to talk with someone who is trained to listen and respond with empathy and understanding. Our counsellor can help you to explore and express the thoughts and feelings that you have around your caring role, with the hope that this will provide some relief and ideas around coping with your situation.
Please contact our office for information about how to be referred to our counsellor.
Our Befriending Programme offers carers weekly telephone support and a regular connection with someone who understands their situation. This may be because they are socially isolated or experiencing loneliness because of their caring role, or they may have limited support networks or people in their lives that understand their caring role. Through befriending, carers who access support will feel listened to and understood and less lonely and isolated. We hope that the support enhances carers’ wellbeing and helps carers to cope better with the challenges that their caring role presents. Support is offered by a trained Volunteer Befriender.
If you would like to:
- Have a Volunteer Befriender
- Apply to volunteer as a Befriender
- Refer a carer to our befriending service for support
please contact our Volunteer and Training Coordinator, Catherine Cain on Catherine.Cain@coel.org.uk.
Our Carer Support Workers can help advocate on your behalf, support you to explore your options and rights in certain circumstances, to attend meetings and to have your thoughts and concerns heard. However, we are not a specialist independent advocacy service. For more information on independent advocacy see Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance.
Power of Attorney or Guardianship are the legal ways that carers can make decisions about the finances or wellbeing of the person they care for. We run regular advice clinics with professional partners on the following topics: Power of Attorney, Adults with Incapacity (including Guardianship), Wills and Advanced Directives. Please contact our office on 0131 665 0135 or email centre@coel.org.uk for more information about our advice clinics or to book an appointment.
We often help people to make complaints or express concerns about other social work, the NHS or other services.
However, there may also be times when we get things wrong or we do not provide the support you wanted or needed. If you have any concerns or complaints about the services Carers of East Lothian provide, please speak with your Carer Support Worker, or contact our CEO Jess Ward on jess @coel.org.uk
Please see our Complaints Information Sheet for further details.
Has someone you look after been admitted to East Lothian Community Hospital? Would you like support to understand what’s happening with the person you care for while they are in hospital? Are you worried about how their change in health, care and treatment may impact on the future?
Having someone admitted to hospital can be a stressful time and it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Our Hospital Link Carer Support Worker can help you throughout their stay in hospital, until they leave and for up to six weeks following their discharge from hospital.
It is important that your views are taken into account and valued throughout the hospital stay and during any conversations about discharge from hospital. We can support you to express your views, as well as help you to be kept up to date on assessments and planning with ward staff, medical staff, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, other hospital, health and social care and community teams. We know that it can sometimes be difficult to ask for help, but we are here to help and support you. Getting practical advice and emotional support can make all the difference to your ability to cope.
Please ask for Rowena on Ward 3 of East Lothian Community Hospital or fill in one of the slips on the ward to notify her that you would like support. Alternatively, you can contact us on 0131 665 0135 and leave a message for Rowena.
If you are caring for someone with a mental health problem, you can access support through Carers of East Lothian.
Caring for someone who has a mental health problem can be hard. Families and friends often don’t know what to say or how to help. Read more about how Carers of East Lothian can support you.
Carers of East Lothian provide support for Parent Carers. A Parent Carer is an adult who provides care for a child with additional support needs for whom they have parental responsibility. We can provide support to Parent Carers even if a medical diagnosis has not been given.
Over time your caring role is likely to change and may come to an end. Changes to your caring role can bring very mixed emotions and may leave a big gap in your life. We can support you through transitions, to prepare for endings and in the aftermath of the event.
Read more about how we can support you when caring comes to an end.
