The power of offering friendship to people over 75
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Contact the Elderly
ALONE
Loneliness and isolation can have a serious effect on mental health and even life expectancy, particularly in older people. During Volunteers' Week, we wanted to encourage people to sign up and provide a lifeline of friendship to older people, aged 75 and over, who face social isolation.
Problem
Recent studies show that loneliness and isolation can have a serious effect on mental health and even life expectancy, particularly in older people. And sadly it’s an issue that is affecting many older people across the UK. We wanted to raise awareness of this during Volunteers' Week, to encourage people to sign up and provide a lifeline of friendship to older people, aged 75 and over, who face social isolation.
Solution
To engage viewers, we knew the importance of making the subject relatable. We decided to take a powerful stance on the film, contrasting the happy memories which we share with our loved ones with the reality of the present for many older people. We sourced real home footage from our friends and family, and edited this together in a compelling narrative of life and ageing. We then concluded the film with footage of someone experiencing loneliness.
Impact
Contact the Elderly sent the film out to its network of volunteers and Nice and Serious released it across media and social media platforms. The number of Contact the Elderly volunteers increased as well as awareness amongst the general public of this relatively unknown subject. The film also won Official Selection at the Leigh Film Festival.
