ABOUT 200 unpaid carers and support organisations gathered at Easterbrook Hall for Dumfries and Galloway’s second unpaid carers conference.
The event, organised by Care Training and Consultancy CIC (CTC), put the lived experience of unpaid carers centre stage as part of their endeavours to listen, understand and champion the needs of unpaid carers.
Delegates enjoyed a live performance of play ‘On Our Street’, commissioned by CTC to portray the lived experience of unpaid carers in Dumfries and Galloway.
The script was written by Emma Forsyth, of Dalbeattie, as part of a partnership project with unpaid carers, CTC and Up Yer Airts
She was inspired by unpaid carers on CTC’s Carers Voices podcast. Afterwards, Ian Seymour, CTC manager, said: “My hope is that we can all work together to use the skills, knowledge and resources we have to take action and make a difference to the lives of unpaid carers, those they care for and those working within health and social care too.
“We need to be bold and do things differently, we need come together to represent the needs of the region, we need to appreciate the value of unpaid carers and the difference they make to those they care for and their positive impact on the NHS, but we also need to protect them as individuals by supporting them in their role and making life easier for them as they struggle to balance their commitments and needs too.”
