Gerry Robinson continues his dissection of health issues on the BBC. His hang dog delivery and exasperation are almost amusing, stunning reflection shots of him looking pensively at the landscape are dotted throughout. His approach is simple and direct, this can't be right?
Yes he is right, dementia care is challenging and unrewarding because it deals with the diminished dignity of the elderly and, yes, we are not doing it very well. But my objection is to his approach, he highlights the problems but we get increasingly depressed as he offers little hope beyond a 20 year old observation techniques that cost dearly and are not proven to deliver results.
When Jamie Oliver got stuck into school meals he rolled up his sleeves and used his experience to show caterers how to do it better. His major resistance was from pupils and parents, unlikely to be the case in dementia care. I expected Gerry Robinson to be like John Harvey-Jones, using his experience, spotting bad practise and suggesting positive action that show a business like approach would help. Instead we get a litany of hand wringing and nothing positive to cling to. Please step up the Jamie Oliver of health.
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