'Asian Gracefully' shows the sadness of care homes everywhere (Channel 4 , March 4)

If 'Asian Gracefully' was meant to be some kind of extended advert for this kind of care home, I don't know who it was intended to convince. Ten minutes into the programme, I was feeling just as sorry for these inmates as I do for my own mother, who lives in a very well-run care home in South Wales. They did seem to make more effort with the food, however. At one point, they gathered all the residents around a table and asked them what their favourite dish was so that it could be included in the menu planning. Various meals were suggested, though, interestingly, 'rice pudding' was one person's favourite; a dish which I would have thought featured on most care home menus - Asian or otherwise. It was all too much for one elderly lady who simply wailed 'I want to 'phone my son!'
The carer in charge said (as they always do in these places) 'We'll do that later, shall we?' My heart went out to her. A chicken curry with an onion bhaji was not going to fill the emotional void in her life. The material and cultural circumstances of these residents were possibly better; and this could lead to charges of Racism. However, as superior as this home was, it did not address the wider malaise of caring for the elderly in this country. Sir Gerry Robinson only scratched the surface in his documentary on dementia care back in 2009. No-one seems to have said anything or done anything to improve the situation since.