Your donation will help us develop our Befriending Programme and give the gift of friendship to those who need it the most. With your support our dedicated staff and volunteers will help to reduce loneliness and isolation in unpaid carers and empower carers to better manage their own wellbeing.
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Around 800,000 people in Scotland are caring full time for loved ones with dementia, disabilities, or long-term illnesses. The Edinburgh Carer's Survey found that 72% of carers reported that their caring role caused physical health problems, while 82% reported that it negatively impacted their mental health. For many, caring will cause feelings of isolation, anger, grief and a loss of confidence. Many also find themselves on their own, without access to services, once their care role ends.
Our Befriending Programme ‘Care to Chat’ offers unpaid carers across Edinburgh a change for respite from care responsibilities by matching them with trained volunteers, who offer conversation, empathy, and companionship through regular meetings and peer support. We also offer a specialist befriending service 'Transition Talks,' which is designed for people whose caring role has come to an end, working through grief, adjusting to life after caring, and rebuilding their confidence.
