Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of the Respitality Round-Up.
If you have any queries about the work of Respitality in Scotland, please get in touch with us by emailing respitality@sharedcarescotland.com
How was 2021 for Respitality?
We have come through another challenging year for Respitality due to COVID-19…and we have thrived!
We have been blessed by the support of over 80 businesses in 2021 which has resulted in over 500 unpaid carers taking a short break from routine through Respitality! We are currently working on a full report to share with our funders at Scottish Government, and we will share a summary of this with you all in the coming months.
We wanted to take a moment to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the Respitality initiative over the past year, whether that has been donating breaks or helping us spread the word about what we do – it really means a lot to us. We are also thankful to the unpaid carers taking breaks with us, who have been fantastic in providing us with meaningful feedback on how we can continue to mould and shape our break opportunities to meet their needs.
Rachel* cares for her husband who is living with Alzheimer’s. The impact of COVID-19 left them not only severely isolated from society, but also resulted in Rachel’s husband’s condition deteriorating significantly. Understandably, this has been heart-breaking for Rachel, who misses the person her husband was before his condition took over.
Rachel explored short break options with the Quarriers Aberdeenshire Carers Support Service, and the idea of taking a short day break with her husband was suggested. Rachel was keen to do this, but felt it would cause more stress for her as she would need to drive and tend to her husband’s caring needs on her own.
The Aberdeenshire Carers Support Service looked into what breaks were available locally within Respitality, and chatted to Claudia from More in Moray Tours and Transport about how a bus tour through their business would work for Rachel and her husband. Claudia is also an unpaid carer and fully understood the need for a short break, as well as the need for a break like this to be personalised. She created a bespoke package that included an itinerary for a bus tour closer to their home, a packed lunch and incorporated flexibility to change or stop the route if needed.
Rachel and her husband enjoyed and massively benefitted from the day trip. Rachel said “I felt totally relaxed in not having to drive – I wish I could spend more days like it.” The day also helped Rachel to see the positives in her caring role, and taking in the beautiful views as husband and wife. Inspired and refreshed, Rachel has already booked in a break with More in Moray for later on in 2022.
*Names have been anonymised to protect privacy.
Coming soon…
To make Respitality as personalised as possible, we work with local carer organisations who build relationships with both unpaid carers and businesses. We currently operate in 19 local authority areas, and our door is always open to welcome more.
Do you think your organisation is the right fit and feels passionate about Respitality as a short breaks option? You can register your interest for our February & March sessions below.