Caring at Christmas
Caring can be stressful at the best of times, but adding the extra pressures of Christmas can become overwhelming.
There are things you can do to ease the pressures. The suggestions below have been gathered from a range of sources, and we hope that you find them helpful.
Make a plan
At an already stressful time, changes to routine and closure of regular services can add extra pressures. If the person you care for needs routine, it can help to create a daily schedule for the Christmas period around your regular activities, such as set meal times, TV programmes, etc.
Food shopping can be particularly difficult. If you shop online, book your delivery slot well in advance. If you need to take the person you care for to the store, find out their quiet hours to make it an easier experience.
Check your GP and pharmacy open hours, and order any prescriptions you may need for over the festive period. Speak to any regular support providers and see if their services will be affected by Christmas hours. Make a list of key phone numbers in case of an emergency.
Alzheimer’s UK and the National Autistic Society have condition specific tips to help you plan for and cope with the festive season.
Speak to family
The temptation is to still try to create the ‘perfect’ Christmas. Talk to relatives and friends who may be involved in your Christmas celebrations, and set out realistic expectations of what can be achieved. Delegate tasks where possible, and consider staggering visits if this will ease the pressure.
Raise any concerns you might have, and try to address potential issues before they arise. Try to have these conversations in advance of Christmas day. If everyone is on the same page it can help everything to run more smoothly.
Ask for help
Don’t feel you have to take on the full burden of Christmas. Ask friends and family to help. They may be able to ease the stress by helping to buy gifts, bringing parts of the meal along, or helping with the preparation and/or clean up. If you like to do these things yourself, ask if they can watch the person you care for to free you up for a few hours.
Take a break
This is often easier said than done, especially at this time of year, but taking even an hour of time for yourself to go for a coffee with a friend, go Christmas shopping, get out for a walk, or just curl up with a good book can make a big difference to your mental health. Formal respite can be difficult, but a number of local services can offer short befriending sessions. Contact us at the Centre to find out more.
Treat yourself
It’s easy to forget about yourself in all the preparations, but you are important too and you deserve a treat. The Centre has a range of activities and funds that can help you to treat yourself, from free complementary therapy sessions (contact the Centre for details), to grants to purchase a treat that suits you.
Don’t overstretch yourself financially
We’ve all fallen into the trap of thinking we need to spend money to get the perfect Christmas. If money is tight, there are plenty of ways to save without compromising on the enjoyment. Set a budget for presents with family, do a Secret Santa so you only need to buy one present, or look for good quality second hand gifts that can be significantly cheaper than buying new.
Charity shops can be a great place to look, and can sometimes have ‘unwanted gifts’ donated that are brand new. They also often have decorations, cards and other festive items at a much cheaper price, plus you’re also helping the charity by buying from there.
When it comes to food, only buy what you need and what you know will be eaten to avoid unnecessary cost and waste.
Try to enjoy yourself
Find moments where you can stop and enjoy what’s going on around you. Watch the family opening gifts. Wear the silly hat and the Christmas jumper. Share the jokes that make everyone groan. Cuddle up on the sofa and put on a Christmas film. Whatever it is that you find special about Christmas, make time to appreciate the small things, and create the important memories that last after the rest has faded.
If you need to talk…
Sometimes it can all get too much. Over Christmas there are several support services that are there for you to contact if you need to talk to someone.
The Samaritans
You can call the Samaritans, for free 24/7- including Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Call: 116 123
CALM
The Campaign Against Living Miserably offers phone and webchat support to anyone who needs it.
Their helpline is open 5pm- midnight, 365 days a year.
Call: 0800 58 58 58
Shout
Shout is a mental health text helpline with professionally trained volunteers at hand.
Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope.
Text: 85258
Breathing Space
A confidential phoneline for anyone in Scotland age 16 years or over, feeling low, anxious or depressed.
Weekdays: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 2am
Weekend: Friday 6pm-Monday 6am
Call: 0800 83 85 87
Visit the Breathing Space website
Carers Week Fun
Between 5th-11th June we celebrated Carers Week 2023. It was a chance to celebrate everything that Carers do for their families and communities, but also a chance to highlight the issues that Carers are facing.
During the week we held a range of events across the Stirling Council area including health and wellbeing sessions of yoga and dance, creative chocolate-making and art workshops, afternoon teas, bowling, and specific events tailored to Young and Young Adult Carers. The week also featured information sessions and activities to increase awareness, and we had representatives from Stirling Council and the Clackmannanshire & Stirling Health & Social Care Partnership come along to some of our events, and chat to Carers and members of our team about how Carers can be better supported.
On Saturday 10th June we held our first ever Carers Week Fun Day. This was a free event for unpaid Carers and their families and had free activities including live music, prize bingo, bouncy castles, games, face-painting, a raffle and food. Provost Douglas Dodds and Councillor Robin Kleinman attended the event and spoke with Carers and trustees from Stirling Carers Centre, with Provost Dodd’s speech acknowledging the work of Carers and thanking them on behalf of Stirling Council.
Colleen McGregor, CEO of Stirling Carers Centre, said “We were excited to hold our first ever Carers Week Fun Day as a free event for Carers and their families. It was a fantastic day, with beautiful weather, and it was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves in the sunshine. We’d like to thank all the organisations, companies and individuals who supported the day through donations of goods, services and prizes or volunteering their time, and Bannockburn Rugby Club for giving us the space to hold the event. We look forward to running more events like this in future.”
Excellence for Carers Award
On Wednesday 28th February Stirling Carers Centre was notified that it had achieved the Carers Trust Excellence for Carers Award.
This award is the result of a thorough assessment of the organisation, how support is provided, how Carers are involved, the organisation’s partnership working, and how Unpaid Carers are promoted in the wider community. Carers were involved in the assessment process to give their views on how the Centre is performing. The assessment report from Carers Trust highlighted the Centre’s commitment to supporting Unpaid Carers, and the team’s ability to see Carers as individuals, to recognise each Carer’s individual circumstances and support needs, and to provide tailored services.
Helen Oliver, Carers Trust’s Quality Assurance and Improvement Manager, said: “We are really pleased to be able to present Stirling Carers Centre with the Excellence for Carers Award. The whole team demonstrated their commitment to providing services that really met Carers’ needs, we were able to hear first-hand from Carers about the positive impact of the services provided and the life-changing difference accessing the support has made. We very much look forward to seeing their services continue to prosper.”
“The whole team demonstrated their commitment to providing services that really met Carers’ needs, we were able to hear first-hand from Carers about the positive impact of the services provided and the life-changing difference accessing the support has made.”
Helen Oliver
Carers Trust Quality Assurance & Improvement Manager
Colleen McGregor, CEO of Stirling Carers Centre, said “Achieving this award affirms the Centre’s ongoing commitment to Stirling’s Carers, and we are delighted to have our team’s high standard of support and care recognised in this way. Thank you to all the Carers who were involved in the assessment process and spoke so highly of the support they received. We’d also like to thank the assessors for the time they invested with us, and for the helpful feedback and suggestions for developments that could help improve support even further.”
Stirling Charity of the Year 2023
On Thursday 21st February, Stirling Carers Centre won the Charity of the Year category in the inaugural Stirling Business Awards.
The team was presented with the honour at the Stirling Business Awards ceremony, run by Go Forth Stirling BID during a black-tie ceremony at the city’s Golden Lion Hotel headlined by Celtic rock band Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
The awards were organised by the BID to recognise and reward the city’s independent business owners and charities with the winners chosen following a public vote.
“I’d like to congratulate the team at Stirling Carers Centre for winning the Charity of the Year Award.
“The Centre plays a vital role in providing advice, information and support to all the many unpaid carers looking after friends and relatives across the Stirling area. I’m delighted to see them recognised for their hard work and the essential care they deliver to improve the quality of life for carers.”
“I’m delighted to see [Stirling Carers Centre] recognised for their hard work and the essential care they deliver to improve the quality of life for Carers.”
Danielle McRorie-Smith
Project Director of Go Forth Stirling BID
Stirling’s Charity of the Year Award was sponsored by the Thistles.
Gary Turnbull, Centre Director at Thistles, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the Charity of the Year category in this year’s Stirling Business Awards.
“There’s no shortage of great work being done in Stirling across independent businesses, retailers and charities as the awards shortlist shows.
“The Stirling Business Awards is a fantastic chance for the hard work of the nominees to be recognised and voted on by the local community that have seen the work first hand. Huge congratulations to the very deserving winner and also the finalists who also demonstrated the impact they have on Stirling and the wider community.”
Colleen McGregor, CEO of Stirling Carers Centre, said, “Winning the Charity of the Year award was a huge surprise for us, but is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team to supporting Stirling’s Unpaid Carers. In a category such as this, where every organisation is doing fantastic and award-worthy work, it was a privilege to be recognised in this way and to be representing Stirling’s strong and vibrant voluntary sector.
We hope that we can use this to raise more awareness of the issues affecting local Carers, and the support that is available to them.”
“In a category such as this, where every organisation is doing fantastic and award-worthy work, it was a privilege to be recognised in this way and to be representing Stirling’s strong and vibrant voluntary sector.”
Colleen McGregor
CEO, Stirling Carers Centre