Throughout 2026, the year that Carers of East Lothian celebrates its 30th anniversary, we have been collecting Pearls of Wisdom from carers for carers.
The pearl was chosen as our theme for the year because it is the traditional gift associated with a 30th anniversary. The idea came from a member of our Carers Panel, and we immediately loved the symbolism. Much like unpaid carers themselves, pearls are incredibly valuable yet often hidden from view.
We asked carers one simple question:
If you could give one piece of advice to another carer, what would it be?
Responses were gathered throughout the year at support groups, community events and through submissions to our newsletter. We were delighted to receive more than 70 contributions from carers across East Lothian.
Our Hospital Link Coordinator, Rowena, who is also a talented artist, had the wonderful idea of bringing these pearls of wisdom together within a pearl sculpture. She has carefully designed and created the sculpture over the course of the year, providing a meaningful way to showcase the voices of carers.
We unveiled the sculpture and shared a selection of the pearls of wisdom at our Annual General Meeting on 28 October. We are delighted to share some photographs of the sculpture, along with a selection of the contributions we received.
These pearls of wisdom offer a small but powerful insight into the experiences, resilience and learning that emerge through caring. We hope they provide encouragement, reassurance and inspiration to carers wherever they are on their own caring journey.
We are delighted to share a selection of the pearls of wisdom shared by carers, along with images of the process of making the sculpture.
“I don’t know if you have been told recently, but you are doing an absolutely amazing job – Well Done!”
“Share information. Join groups if possible and meet with people in similar situations. This is a good way of finding out what you can expect from the services available. Also share any and all information you have gathered from your own experiences. I always pass on any information that I have gathered to others. It is amazing how little people know about and don’t know what to ask for. I’m all for sharing any and all advice and or suggestions to others.”
“Look after yourself you can’t pour from a empty teacup if you have nothing else to give. Going out for a walk along a beach or surrounded in nature helps me cope with the pressures of full time caring.🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻”
“Look after yourself, so you can maintain the quality of care you give to the other person.This means eating healthily, doing exercise, taking rest, using your support network to relieve the pressure, taking time for activities that give you joy (like hobbies). And the harder it is to do these things, the more important it is that you do them.”
“Courage, Mon Ami!”
“Amongst all the love and support and time spent on caring for others, turn that in on yourself and always find time to love yourself in whatever way you can! This keeps you going! Much love to you ❤️”
“There are a lot of people in the same predicament – seek them out and support each other.”
“Be kind to yourself. It is OK to ask for help.”
“Don’t undervalue your role as a carer. Don’t be afraid to show your vulnerability. Take care of your own health. Don’t feel guilty for thinking of yourself or how caring affects you.”
“Enjoy the moment, and if its horrible, enjoy the memories instead.”
“Stop and Breathe.”
Image of pearl sculpture during making process.
Image of pearl sculpture during making process.
Rowena taking “pearls of wisdom” from the sculpture at the Carers of East Lothian AGM.