TV review: Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes, BBC1 (From Blackpool Citizen)

TV review: Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes, BBC1

4:26pm Monday 14th December 2009

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CAN Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes?

That was the title of the programme I stumbled upon this week.

My first response was an immediate: “Of course he can.” Because I fully believe the former Coca-Cola boss can do pretty much anything when it comes to turning around ailing businesses.

I’d watched his attempts to reduce waiting lists at a Rotherham hospital, and was eager to see what tricks good old Gerry would have up his sleeve for these care home.

But by the end of the show it became clear this wasn’t the latest vehicle for Gerry Robinson, but an expose on how our old and vulnerable are treated.

The programme left me feeling sad and ashamed at the way we push our elderly relatives into “granny farms”.

One woman was left shouting: “Nurse, where am I?” for a full half-hour without being noticed.

The problem, it seemed to me, was that the care of our elderly was allowed to be delivered by profit-making businesses rather than with residents’ wellbeing the main focus. Gerry seemed to think that improving the residents’ quality of life was the way forward, and that it would in turn improve the profitability of the homes. We’d better hope he’s right because 250,000 Britons are going to end up with dementia. It could be you or me.

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