To mark Homecare Day, notable buildings and landmarks across Scotland will be lit up in yellow to celebrate care at home workers and other social care staff on the evening of Thursday 22 September 2022.
Homecare Day is an online event organised by the representative body for independent social care providers in Scotland, Scottish Care. Taking place this year on Thursday 22 September, this event aims to raise awareness of the crucial role of care at home and housing support services in supporting older and vulnerable citizens across the UK.
To be able to stay in the place you call home and to remain around family, friends and community is a desire many of us have, maybe most especially when we are ill or requiring support and care. It is this independent living that thousands of homecare staff enable people to achieve every day across the UK.
Care at home staff has continued to support some of our most vulnerable people in their own homes, ensuring their health and safety whilst combatting various challenges. They provide support not only to individuals but their families too. Recent months have also seen unprecedented demand in home-based care organisations, despite this, the homecare workforce has rallied together and gone above and beyond their roles to deliver quality care.
Scottish Care, along with the Partners for Integration Team have been organising this ‘Light Up for Carers’ initiative. This campaign is supported by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the Care Inspectorate. It is also supported by the SEC and Health and Social Care Partnerships/Councils for Aberdeen City, Argyll & Bute, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, and West Lothian – with the light-up taking place in these areas. Together, they are calling for social care workers, providers, partners and individuals to join in the celebrations by visiting these buildings, taking pictures and sharing them on social media with the hashtags #shinealight and #homecareday22.
The buildings and landmarks taking part will include:
- Caird Hall – Dundee
- Castle House/Pier – Dunoon
- Civic Centre – Livingston
- Falkirk Wheel – Falkirk
- Granton Gas Tower – Edinburgh
- Hamilton Town House – Hamilton
- Marischal College – Aberdeen
- McCaig’s Tower – Oban
- Ness Bridge – Inverness
- OVO Hydro – Glasgow
- Scottish Borders Council HQ – Newton St Boswells
- St Andrew’s House – Edinburgh
- The Kelpies – Falkirk
- Victoria Quay – Edinburgh
These structures will be lit up in the colour yellow, to symbolise the flame of a candle. This is in line with another campaign started by Scottish Care during the Covid-19 pandemic, where candles are lit every Tuesday at 7:00 pm to give thanks to all those who provide care and support during this time and in memory of all those we have lost to Covid-19.
The social care sector shows us caring, resilience and compassion at its best, yet this workforce is often undervalued. Their dedication, professionalism and commitment in delivering high-quality care every day of the week, is something that deserves to be recognised and celebrated widely. This is why campaigns like Homecare Day and Light Up for Carers are extremely important, they offer an opportunity to give recognition to the sector and their workforce.
