CoWL (Carers of West Lothian)

Carers of West Lothian are a well-established local charity offering information, advice and support to all unpaid carers and disabled people living in West Lothian.

We offer a range of services developed to meet the needs and improve the lives of the people we support.

Unpaid Carers

Woman and man sitting next to each other. Woman appears to be a carer for the man and has her arm around him whilst he had a bib tied resting on his chest and a napkin on his knee.

Unpaid carers provide care and support to partners, family members or friends of any age who could not manage without their help. This can be due to a long-term condition, disability, physical or mental health conditions, frailty or addiction.

The support provided by an unpaid carer is varied and may include: help with washing and dressing and other personal care; help with meals; medication; housework or shopping; support to attend appointments; and providing company and emotional support

Anybody can become a carer at any time in their life and sometimes, are caring for more than one person.

If you are caring for someone who moves into a care home, your caring role may change but you are still a carer. You may spend time visiting the person you care for in the care home, providing emotional and practical support.

We support unpaid carers from the age of 8, we have a Young Carer Service, a Young Adult Carer Service and an Adult Carer Service.

Disabled People

Carers of West Lothian’s Disability Service provides support to disabled adults from 18 with a learning and/or physical disability living in West Lothian.

The service aims to promote independence and social inclusion, to improve the quality of life of disabled people by helping them to live independently in their own homes and in their communities.

Woman and young man sitting at a table at what looks like a Christmas party or event.

We do this by:

Working with disabled people to remove barriers leading to more independence, choice and control.
Empowering people to actively engage in their care and support planning and decision making
Empower people to participate in their communities
Provide support to improve physical and mental wellbeing

CoWL Support

Carers of West Lothian provide:

Table of what CoWL (Carers of West Lothian) can offer people. Includes: Emotional support, wellbeing and self care, mental health and wellbeing support, social oppertunities, peer support groups, training and workshops, advice clinics, information and advice, signposting and referrals to relevant services and agencies, planning for emergencies, breaks from caring, bereavement support

Find out what’s on using the Carers of West Lothian event calendar

Information for Professionals

Who are Unpaid Carers?

Unpaid carers provide care and support to partners, family members or friends of any age who could not manage without their help. This can be due to a long term condition, disability, physical or mental health conditions, frailty or addiction.

The support an unpaid carer provides is varied and may include: help with washing and dressing and other personal care, help with meals, medication, housework or shopping, support to attended appointments and providing company and emotional support.

In a kitchen. Man in wheelchair and two women, all smiling up at the camera

Carers don’t have to be living with the person they care for and can be caring for more than one person. Carers may be caring full-time or balancing work and caring responsibilities.

We support unpaid carers from the age of 8, we have a Young Carer Service, a Young Adult Carer Service and an Adult Carer Service.

Identifying Unpaid Carers

People providing unpaid care often fail to identify their caring role because they see themselves as a family member or friend, or because the process of taking on a caring role is very gradual as the condition of the person they care for deteriorates. Sometimes they don’t identify the word ‘carer’ with themselves.

With self-identification being one of the main obstacles to carers accessing support, health and social care professionals are in a great position to help them. Carers may never want to call themselves a carer but they can still access support.

Why Support Carers

Carers have a wealth of knowledge about the person they care about and are often key to understanding the person’s needs and preferences. Involving carers in planning and discussions about the person they care for benefits everyone – the carer, there person being cared for and services.

Identifying carers is the first step to providing them with the support they need to maintain their own mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Training for Professionals

Carers of West Lothian deliver training sessions and talks to local organisations, services and businesses, covering all carer related topics. Our sessions also include information on our disability service. For more information, please call 01506 448 000 or email office@carers-westlothian.com

We also have a range of leaflets and posters available on request.

Referral Process

We accept self-referrals and referrals on behalf of someone with their permission. To refer yourself or someone else, we require the following information: