Companionship careOrkney Islands
Keeping up the things they love is most of what makes a day good. This page shows what the Orkney Islands offers for each interest, and how to find a live-in carer who shares your mother's or father's.
Interest 1
Orkney walking is mostly low and open, with short shoreline and town paths rather than hills, so distances can be kept small.
Somewhere to go
Kirkwall
A wide sandy beach about a mile from Kirkwall, popular with walkers all year and reached by the Crantit Trail from town. A carer could drive to the beach car park and keep the walk to a short there-and-back along the sand with views over Scapa Flow.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
Kirkwall
A flat town walk around the small lochan in Kirkwall that links up with the cathedral, harbour and Tankerness House Gardens. A carer could shorten it to one loop of the water and use the gardens as a sit-down point part way round.
Source: walkhighlands.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A companion walks at their pace, knows when to turn back, and drives to the flat, well-surfaced routes so a short walk is still possible when a long one is not.
Live-in carers who enjoy walkingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 2
Gardening in Orkney is shaped by wind and salt, so walled and sheltered plots matter more here than size.
Somewhere to go
Tankerness House Gardens, Kirkwall
A sheltered walled garden in the middle of Kirkwall, once the Baikie family's private plot and now open to the public beside the Orkney Museum, with lawn, flower beds and plenty of birds and bees. A carer could combine a short visit with a coffee in town and time on a bench watching the borders.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
In the calendar
A long-running summer programme of private gardens opening for charity across Orkney from June into July, with tours, talks and workshops. A carer could pick one garden on a calm day, check the parking with the owner and bring a folding seat for a proper look at the planting.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Potting on at a table rather than kneeling, deadheading from a stool, visiting gardens with level paths and a tearoom: a carer keeps the garden in their week.
Live-in carers who enjoy gardeningCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 3
Orkney cooking leans on its own farm and grain produce, and several local dishes are still made in ordinary kitchens.
Local food
Beremeal is ground from bere, an ancient Orkney barley, and is traditionally made into flat bannocks cooked on a girdle and eaten with butter or cheese. A carer could fetch the meal locally, do the lifting and the hot girdle work, and leave the mixing and shaping to the person who knows how it should feel.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
Local food
Clapshot is the Orkney mash of potatoes and turnip with butter, often served with mince or haggis. A carer could peel and boil the vegetables, then sit alongside while the mashing and seasoning are done to an older cook's own standard.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A carer does the lifting, the hot trays and the washing up, so the recipes, the judging and the tasting stay with the person who knows them.
Live-in carers who enjoy cooking & bakingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 4
Orkney has a strong fiddle and folk tradition, and its festivals draw island players and visiting musicians into small halls and churches.
In the calendar
Stromness
Four days of folk music in late May across venues in Stromness and beyond, mixing Orcadian players with performers from further afield. A carer could book seated tickets for an afternoon or early evening concert and handle the parking and travel home.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
In the calendar
Kirkwall
A multi-artform festival held in the final weeks of June since 1977, with classical and folk music, theatre and literature events across the islands, several of them in St Magnus Cathedral. A carer could choose one shorter daytime performance and arrange drop-off close to the venue.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Old records, a choir concert, singing along in the kitchen. Music often stays with people long after other things fade, and a companion who enjoys it makes it part of the day.
Live-in carers who enjoy musicCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 5
Social dancing is still part of Orkney community life, with its own local versions of traditional reels.
Somewhere to join
A local association that promotes and teaches Orkney's traditional dancing, supported through the council's culture funding. A carer could ask about lower-key social sessions and provide the transport that often decides whether someone goes at all.
Source: orkney.gov.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
From tea dances to seated movement to music, a companion can find the right session, drive there, and make sure it is enjoyable rather than tiring.
Live-in carers who enjoy dancingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 6
Orkney's freshwater lochs hold wild brown trout and sit close to the road, which keeps bank fishing within reach.
Somewhere to join
The island association that looks after trout fishing on Orkney's lochs and publishes information on where and how to fish them. A carer could help with membership and gear, then drive to a bank spot and set up a chair for a couple of hours.
Source: orkneytroutfishing.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
Harray
The largest of Orkney's trout lochs and the best known for wild brown trout, fished from the bank as well as by boat. A carer could choose a sheltered roadside stretch on a calm day and carry the rods and tackle.
Source: northlinkferries.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A carer can sort the permit and the tackle, drive to a bank spot close to the car park, and bring the chair, the flask and the patience.
Live-in carers who enjoy fishingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 7
Big skies, low light and Neolithic monuments give Orkney photographers plenty to aim at without long walks.
Somewhere to go
Stenness
A Neolithic stone circle and henge in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, with a car park nearby and ranger-led guided walks in season. A carer could time the visit for softer evening light and keep to the monument's immediate surrounds rather than the full circuit.
Source: historicenvironment.scot. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to go
The Loons Hide, Birsay
An RSPB hide overlooking Orkney's largest remaining wetland, good for waders and wildfowl through the seasons. A carer could take a camera support, settle in the hide and wait, which suits anyone who cannot walk far for a picture.
Getting around: A ramp leads directly from the car park to the hide entrance, and a section of seating can be moved to take a wheelchair.
Source: rspb.org.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A companion can plan an outing around the light and the tide, carry the kit, and help sort the pictures afterwards.
Live-in carers who enjoy photographyCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 8
Orkney has drawn painters for generations, and the islands support a working community of artists and makers.
Somewhere to go
Stromness
A gallery on the Stromness waterfront holding a permanent collection of twentieth century British art alongside changing exhibitions. A carer could plan a short visit around one or two rooms and follow it with a look at the harbour for subject matter.
Source: pierartscentre.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
Somewhere to join
A membership group of around seventy Orkney artists and crafters, founded in 1967 as the Orkney Craftsmen's Guild, which runs craft fairs and an annual selling exhibition. A carer could take someone to a fair to talk to local painters and see what materials others are using.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Setting up the table, washing the brushes, finding a gallery with a lift: a carer handles the practical side so the time goes on the painting.
Live-in carers who enjoy paintingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 9
Orkney has an unusually strong reading and archive culture for its size, with a library service that reaches the outer parishes and isles.
Somewhere to go
Kirkwall
Founded in 1683 and the oldest public library in Scotland, the Kirkwall library holds lending stock plus an archive of Orkney records and family history material. A carer could handle the trip and the carrying, and help look up local history or family records at the archive desk.
Source: orkneylibrary.org.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
In the calendar
The library service runs a mobile library carrying books and audiobooks to rural parishes and islands, and drivers call on people who find it hard to reach the van. A carer could check the round's timetable and help choose large print or audiobooks for the next visit.
Source: orkneylibrary.org.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Library trips, reading aloud when eyes tire, audiobooks set up and ready, and somebody to talk about the book with.
Live-in carers who enjoy readingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 10
Sport in Orkney is a community affair, from indoor facilities in Kirkwall to street games watched by the whole town.
Somewhere to go
Kirkwall
Orkney's main sports and leisure venue in Kirkwall, with two pools, a gym, fitness classes, a cafe and a cinema under one roof. A carer could go along for a gentle class or a swim, or simply sit in the cafe while the other half of the visit happens.
Source: pickaquoy.co.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
In the calendar
Kirkwall
The Ba' is a mass street game between the Uppies and the Doonies played through Kirkwall on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, with crowds following the ball for hours. A carer could find a sheltered vantage point away from the scrum and keep the outing short in winter weather.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Watching the match together, a trip to the bowls green or the cricket, or gentle exercise done safely with someone alongside.
Live-in carers who enjoy sportsCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 11
Small island populations rely heavily on volunteers, so there is usually a role that fits what someone can still offer.
Somewhere to join
Kirkwall
The islands' third sector interface, which runs the volunteer centre, a community directory and services including adult befriending. A carer could help make contact, talk through what hours suit and provide the lift to and from a placement.
Source: vaorkney.org.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
In the calendar
North Ronaldsay
A fortnight-long festival on North Ronaldsay where volunteers help repair the listed dyke that keeps the island's seaweed-eating sheep on the shore, alongside talks and island events. A carer could support a stay for the lighter side of it, such as the social and catering roles rather than the stone work.
Source: orkney.com. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
A carer can help find a role that suits sitting down or short sessions, and handle the lifts there and back.
Live-in carers who enjoy volunteeringCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Interest 12
Orkney wool has its own story, and native island fleece is still spun locally for knitters.
Local tradition
North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay's rare seaweed-eating sheep produce a distinctive fleece, and the island set up its own small mill so the clip could be spun into yarn on Orkney. A carer could order a hank locally and sit in on the knitting, winding yarn and reading patterns aloud where eyesight makes that hard.
Source: theorkneysheepfoundation.org.uk. Check opening times and access before you go.
How a companion helps
Winding wool, reading the pattern aloud, picking up dropped stitches, and a trip to the wool shop or a knitting group.
Live-in carers who enjoy knittingCarers list their interests on their profiles. Search live-in carers on the Orkney Islands and the ones who share this interest are shown first.
Closer to home
Not every good day involves going out. Each of these is easier, and more fun, with somebody to share it, and plenty of live-in carers list them.
From interest to introduction
Use the link under any interest on this page. It opens a search of live-in carers on the Orkney Islands with the carers who list that interest first; nobody else is hidden, so you still see everyone who could come.
Each profile shows the carer's interests next to their experience, the conditions they have cared for, their day rate and their reviews. Shortlist two or three.
Message and meet them for free. Ask about the hobby: someone who really gardens will tell you what they grow. Nothing is booked until you decide.
We set up the contract, handle invoicing and payment, and insure the care while the carer works. The rest of the week is theirs to fill.
Lee-Ann
Care manager for families on the Orkney Islands
Someone to talk to first
Most families start with a call: what your relative needs, what it would cost, which carers share your parent's interests, and whether live-in care or companionship visits suit them better, and what to ask a carer when you speak to them. Lee-Ann has those conversations every day and can tell you which of the carers on the Orkney Islands might suit, though the choice is always yours.
Questions
Yes. Getting out is a normal part of a live-in carer's week: a walk (Scapa Beach is a good one), a garden visit, a choir concert, the bowls club or a lunch with friends. Many carers drive, and the search shows who does. Mileage is only charged if you agree it in advance and in writing, and 55p a mile is the usual figure when a carer uses their own car. Entry tickets and cafe stops for the carer are worth agreeing up front too.
Use the link under the interest on this page: it opens a search of live-in carers on the Orkney Islands with the ones who list that interest shown first, and the rest still there below them. Every profile shows the carer's interests alongside their experience, rates and reviews. Message the ones you like, and talk about the hobby when you meet them: it is the quickest way to tell whether the interest is real.
For live-in care it matters more than people expect. A live-in carer shares the house for weeks at a time, and the hours between the care tasks are most of the day. Somebody who likes the same programmes, games or garden fills those hours naturally. It is still second to experience and temperament, so treat it as a tie-breaker between good carers rather than the first thing you filter on.
Live-in care through PrimeCarers is typically about £1,120 a week, with our fee included, and each carer sets their own rate, shown on their profile. That covers somebody living in and helping through the day. If your parent needs company rather than round-the-clock help, hourly companionship visits start from about £15 an hour. Companionship care on the Orkney Islands compares the two.
Then the interest comes to him. A carer can bring the garden to a table on the patio, put the old records on, set up the jigsaw, read the paper aloud or play cards most afternoons. The interests further down this page are mostly the ones done at home, and plenty of carers share them.
Each local suggestion was researched from published sources, and every one on the page has passed a check before appearing: either it was found on a map inside the Orkney Islands, or its source page, which we link to, is live and names the area. Anything that failed was left out. Opening times, prices and access change, so check with the venue before you go, especially for gardens such as Tankerness House Gardens, where it is worth asking ahead about wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
Yes. Before a carer appears on PrimeCarers they have passed an enhanced DBS check, an identity check and a right-to-work check, and had an online interview with our team, with renewal or rechecks depending on the accepted route. Carers write their own profiles, including their interests and skills, so ask about anything that matters to you when you meet them. How we vet carers sets out each step.
See live-in carers with their photos, interests, rates and reviews, and talk to your favourites for free. Nothing is booked until you say so.
