Hearts and Minds has secured funding to help unpaid carers provide support to those with chronic illnesses
A charity that help those battling illness by providing laughter is set to expand.
Hearts and Minds has secured funding to develop new workshops and online resources to support unpaid carers of people with chronic illnesses. The workshops will aim to help carers play, care and cope by improving how they communicate with the person they care for, enjoying moments of lightness and fun as an outlet, and building their resilience and coping abilities.
The Edinburgh-based charity has become renowned for its Clowndoctors initiative – which sees professional arts practitioners visit hospitals and hospices to engage with patients.
An estimated 90 carers across Scotland will be involved in developing the workshops and Hearts and Minds will also create three short videos based on the exercises covered in the workshops.
The videos will be free to access online, enabling the charity to reach and support carers in rural locations or those who may find themselves isolated and unable to leave home as a consequence of their caring role. The development of Hearts and Mind’s Play Care Cope workshops and video materials has been funded with grant of £23,000 from the Bupa UK Foundation.
Michelle Armstrong, chief executive of Hearts & Minds, said: “Support from the Bupa UK Foundation is allowing us to build on our existing work with carers. The Play Care Cope project will be developed and informed by carers, focusing on how communication skills through listening, improvisation and play can help build resilience and coping abilities.”
Tina Gwynne-Evans, head of the Bupa UK Foundation, said: “Many carers report that caring takes a significant toll on their own health and wellbeing. In 2018 Carers UK's State of Caring report, which surveyed more than 7,000 carers, revealed that 72% of carers have experienced mental ill health as a result of caring, so the Bupa UK Foundation is pleased to support this innovative project designed to help carers cope with the stress and strain of caring.”
