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Crossroads Carers - The Beginning
Crossroads Care came into existence as the result of a story line in the 1970's television series "Crossroads." In the programme one of the characters, a young man called Sandy, was paraplegic and required 24 hour care, The programme makers at Associated Television explored the problems faced by disabled people and in the course of that research the needs and problems of carers were highlighted.
Crossroads began in 1974 in Rugby, the funding for the pilot scheme being provided by Associated Television. In 1999 Crossroads celebrated its first quarter century.
Crossroads (Scotland) began in 1978 and celebrated its 'twenty first' in 1999. It has grown from two pilot projects in Glasgow and Dundee, to a network of 53 Care Attendant Schemes nationwide.
Inverness Crossroads celebrates its 25th birthday this year.
Crossroads Inverness Office
The seeds of Crossroads (Inverness) Care Attendant Scheme were sown by local GP Dr. Ian McNamara, our Chairman. In the course of his work as a General Practitioner Dr. McNamara became aware of the problems resulting from chronic illness in patients' families and the need for some form of respite care. This was highlighted by two particularly distressing cases towards the end of the 1970's. At about this time the concept of Crossroads Care Attendant Schemes was beginning to take off and after carrying out a survey to assess local interest a public meeting was called. This meeting was held in November 1981 and resulted in the formation of a Steering Commitee and the election of Dr. McNamara as its first Chairman. Months of incredibly hard work followed and in June 1982, with a team of five Care Attendants, Inverness Crossroads was up and running!
The scheme has continued to flourish and 25 years later in 2007 employs a team of 37 Care Attendants. In the course of the last financial year we have provided approximately 19,000 hours of respite and personal care to over 400 families and individuals.
What is Crossroads?
Crossroads Inverness is the leading provider of respite for Carers, anticipating the current community care policy as far back as the mid 1970's. Its work involves continuously supporting families in and around Inverness as the only organisation providing, free of charge, a Care Attendant. This enables the Carer of an individual to have some free time to themselves and eases the stress and burden of caring on a continuous daily basis.
Today the Scheme is managed by a Committee of volunteers, each of whom devotes time and expertise to the overall management. It operates through the paid part time staff who are the Scheme Co-ordinator, the Care Administrator, Fundraiser, Shop Organiser and Care Attendants.
The Crossroads Care Attendant Scheme in Inverness was established in 1982 to provide respite and support to Carers in the area, so enabling those for whom they care to live in their own homes.
The support provided is
Who is a Carer?
A carer is anyone whose daily life is significantly affected by their caring role. They do not necessarily have to live with the person for whom they care. They may be caring for a relative or friend of any age or disability.
Being a carer can be extremely tiring as well as demanding and it is the aim of Crossroads to relieve some of these stresses thereby enabling carers to continue in their caring role.
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