Margaret is 54 years old and has lived in Paisley her whole life. For the past four years she has been the primary carer for her father Jim, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2021. She does his shopping, manages his medication, accompanies him to hospital appointments, handles his finances, and checks on him twice a day. On paper it is a full-time job. For most of that time, Margaret did not think of herself as a carer at all.

"I just thought of it as being a daughter," she says. "That is what you do, is it not? You look after your family." It is a sentiment we hear often at Vibrant Health Advocates - Delta. The word carer can feel clinical, even distancing — as though it imposes a professional identity on something that feels deeply personal. But the practical reality is that without the label, people like Margaret often miss out on the support they genuinely need.

By early 2024 Margaret was exhausted. She had reduced her hours at work, her own health appointments were going unattended, and she had gradually stopped seeing friends. A neighbour who attended one of our Carer Support Circles mentioned it in passing. Margaret almost did not come. "I thought it would be a group of strangers sitting in a circle talking about their feelings," she admits with a laugh. "And in a way it is, but it is also just people having a cup of tea and being honest with each other."

Within a few sessions Margaret had learned about the Carer Support Payment she was entitled to but had never claimed. Staff from our organisation also helped her request a Carer's Assessment from Renfrewshire Council. The assessment resulted in Jim receiving additional home support visits three mornings a week — time that Margaret now uses to attend a gym class she had given up years earlier. "That hour on a Wednesday morning is mine," she says. "I did not know I was allowed to have something that was just mine."

She is also now a familiar face at the fortnightly circles, occasionally the one sitting beside a first-timer who looks uncertain about whether they belong. "I just tell them what someone told me," she says. "You do not have to be in a crisis to come here. You just have to be a bit worn down, and most of us are."

Margaret's story is not unusual, and that is precisely the point. Across Paisley there are people quietly carrying enormous weight — people who have not claimed what they are entitled to, who have not asked for a break, who have not had anyone ask how they are doing in months. Vibrant Health Advocates - Delta exists for them. If any part of Margaret's story sounds familiar, we hope you will reach out.