Short Break Stories

Time 2 Be and Wee Treat

A story by Connecting Carers

We provided grants directly to carers who live in Highland to enable them to have a break and to have a life alongside caring.

What Time 2 Be and Wee Treat did

Having conducted a root and branch review in the previous year, this year was about consolidation, awareness raising and increasing proactive approaches to ensure our fund was accessed by carer in the most need and most vulnerable to burn out because of their caring role.

We have revised our application forms and leaflets and increase publicity through events and social media.

“I was so happy and excited to receive a cheque to buy my swing chair. A huge thank you! P is very ill now and in bed most of the time. His respirator is on all the time now and his is much weaker.

Having the swing chair is so special as I can sit outside for a short time listening to the birds even as autumn comes in. I have always wanted a swing chair and this had been a project P was going to do, he wanted to build one from scratch. He is delighted that I have one now.

I can’t leave P now, always having to be nearby and in hearing of him. I am just so grateful to have been given this gift and for P to know I have a swing chair now is very comforting for him. Thank you again for bringing this about.”

“I used it to help fund a break to Spain with my sister and her family. Accommodation was provided so the grant paid for flights and train ticket. I had to take the person I care for with me, but had time to have a break because of family support and the holiday environment.

I can’t believe how much better I feel after this break. All the responsibilities and relentless round of appointments, doctors, specialists, support workers etc. which I need to keep on top of all of this fell away and I felt relaxed for the first time in at least 2 years.”
“I used this grant for a weekend break away in Glasgow with my fiancée. The grant was spent on travel and accommodation, as well as a few leisure activities which I would not get to do in Inverness due to my caring role and the activities not being available here. While there I got to see some old school friends I hadn’t seen in a few years. We went to the best Japanese restaurant in town, solved a mystery in Riddle Rooms and won 3 games to 2 at air surfing with Nomad Woodland (like paintballing but with BB guns).

This break has allowed me to have some down time as well as getting to spend some quality time with my fiancée and friends, thus I returned refreshed and rested. This allowed me to continue caring for mum with a fresh mind and being able to do so with less stress. Since returning I have been on better terms with mum since there is now a little less tension and I feel more able to deal with the emotional and physical demands of caring."
“I used it to pay for my allotment fees for 2017. I needed to get some work done making new raised beds and putting in decent paths to stop the risk of accidental fall & trip. Money I would have used to pay plot fees has paid for the improvements, and the Time 2 Be paid for the fees.

Thank you very, very much. This means I can carry on ‘plotting’ for a good while yet! My allotment is my bolt hole. The place I go just for a break to breathe and just to be. I can’t stress enough how much this plot means to me. Regular wee visits just brighten my day and give me renewed energy and feelings of wellbeing.”
“I used my Time 2 Be for a trip to Glasgow. We went to the football and had dinner at the Kerrydale Suite in the evening this was a treat for me!!

We stayed overnight at the Premier Inn and it was a lovely change away. This break came at a very timely time as my role caring for my mother-in-law had reached crisis point and I cannot begin to tell you how much this break was needed and your kindness with your donation allowed us to enjoy our break immensely.”

What Connecting Carers has learned

We have learned that with increased awareness comes increased demand and as we look forward to the coming year we are discussing how we can make sure the maximum number of carers that most in need are able to access the fund. We continue to monitor demand and the types of breaks carers are looking for.

We also discuss the fund processes and procedures at our bi-monthly team meetings and engage the entire team in looking at the best ways to make the most of what we know is funding that is of tremendous benefit to carers across Highland. We are confident that we can ensure that we have a robust and well organised fund, effective communication and promotion, and we can make the maximum impact for carers to enable us to meet the objectives of the fund going forward.

We generated an estimated 14,827 hours of respite for carers through the awards in this period.
Top tips Connecting Carers's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
Keep accurate records from day 1 so that you can monitor the fund effectively and report regularly with accuracy.
Tip 2:
Be sure that you are targeting the carers who need the funds and not just a scattergun approach which may mean those who are most active at seeking out what is available are advantaged by being proactive to the detriment of those who are more burdened by caring and unable to 'see the wood for the trees'.
Tip 3:
Plan to spread the fund over the entire year so that you can be sure that someone who needs a break in month 10 is not disadvantaged when compared with someone who applied in month 1.

"These breaks are the best thing that can happen to caring families. The time away is just perfect to relax and escape just for a while"

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