New short film highlights hidden hunger amongst older adults
- karenhollocks
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
CCP is proud to have worked with BCP's Access to Food Partnership to create a new short film, co-produced with local communities, which addresses the issue of food insecurity amongst older people.
The Access to Food Partnership wanted to better understand local observations that older adults are less likely to use foodbanks and have a higher level of attendance at lunch club settings.
In collaboration with CCP and Bournemouth University’s PIER (Public Involvement in Education and Research) team, the project worked closely with local lunch clubs to better understand the barriers as well as the solutions that will enable better access to relevant support for older people experiencing food insecurity.
The short film hears from people in the BCP area about their struggles and difficulties around food, connection and the stigma attached to asking for support.
Rev Sandra Prudom, CEO of CCP, said: “We were surprised at how much food insecurity there is for many of our older residents and the Hidden Hunger research has both informed and shaped our provision going forward”.
The BU PIER Community Researcher Model enables participants with lived experience of the topic to share their insights. The conversations by community researchers identified the following themes:
Basic Needs Not Being Met
Broadening from Poverty
Benefits of Lunch Clubs
Asking For Help
Someone to Trust
“A significant learning for us from his project was that access to food for some older people was not only about poverty. It was often about mobility, frailty and tied up with not wanting to ask for help or be seen as a burden. Having someone they could just ask, was the key to making a difference”. BU Research team
The research has prompted partners to take action and develop their practice using the lessons learnt, including:
CCP has established a new monthly Sunday Roast project and weekly CCP Lunch Club which includes more time either side of a meal for people to socialise (mobility issues meant eating and talking is harder for some attendees) as well as supporting the Greystones lunch club
Partners will use the learnt ‘community researcher model’ to reach other seldom heard voices within our community
Bournemouth University will help build capacity for community groups, staff and volunteers to have the skills and confidence to lead and conduct their own research
The Access to Food Partnership is a group of over 70 community food organisations and many others from the public and voluntary sector. They will continue to connect and deliver better outcomes for those experiencing food insecurity. Alistair Doxat-Purser (Chair of Access to Food and CEO of Faithworks) said:
"The findings from this research project are very timely as demand at foodbanks from those over 65 starts to grow. Relational support as well as practical help is becoming more and more what the Access to Food Partnership stands for - and magnificently demonstrates day in, day out."
Find more information about the Access to Food Partnership here:
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