Unpaid older carers in Scarborough go digital to stay in touch with friends and family

Scarborough & Ryedale Carers Resource received a grant to help tackle loneliness, which was used to set up a peer support group for about 60 older unpaid carers to meet every fortnight to enjoy a few hours of respite from the daily responsibilities of caring for a family member at home.

With the coronavirus lockdown bringing the closure of cafes and art galleries, which the group would often visit, the carers were left at carers at even greater risk of isolation than before.

Staff at Carers Resource wasted no time in arranging one-to-one calls with each group member to review what access, if any, they already had to the internet, and what support and equipment they needed to ensure they stayed connected with the peer support group and its activities. Staff and volunteers from the charity spent hours on the phone, helping carers learn how to use their online devices. Those without devices were provided with Kindles they could use to get online and carers without internet access were given dongles so they could connect.

Zoom calls

Before a special VE Day 75th anniversary celebration, packs containing bowler hats, Union Jack flags, cupcakes and bunting were delivered to the doorstep of every carer. When they logged on to the Zoom call, carers were able to see the homes of all their carer friends decked out in bunting and flags.

Packs containing brushes, easels and paint were delivered before a Monet Magic session. And before the Musical Memories session, carers received packs containing blow-up microphones, blow-up guitars and songsheets so they were ready to start performing as soon as the screens went live on their group Zoom call.

Following the VE Day Party, one carer thanked Carers Resource by saying: “Until today I’ve not laughed for a long time.”

Carers can also now connect via video calls with their children and grandchildren.

The money came from the People’s Postcode Lottery via Carers Trust, which used some of the funding to make grants to partner organisations including Scarborough & Ryedale Carers Resource.

CEO of Scarborough & Ryedale Carers Resource Elizabeth McPherson said: “It has been a joy for us to watch these carers embrace new technologies and change their lives in the process. Lockdown threatened a disaster because carers – especially those in rural areas – were already severely isolated even before lockdown prevented them from leaving their homes at all.