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Undercover OAP hired to investigate abuse in a care home

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Namsnanny Thu 29-Apr-21 13:56:10

I agree with both Artayar and londonMzfitz.
I was worried the program would be a bit ageist. In respect of the technology he had to master. But whilst some of the 'mistakes' he made mastering the devices were humerous, he wasnt the but of insensitive jokes.
I came away liking most of the people who were taking part

It was heartbreaking to watch the resident who daily went to the main gate and asked people passing by to rescue her!
Touching also when the staff called her on the phone pretending to be her mother, just to give her some peace.

Yes all in all a well produced program.
Did you notice the lack of dramatic music which usually underscores programs about care homes?
Without it the program was eminently easier to watch.

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LondonMzFitz Thu 29-Apr-21 10:50:26

I watched this too, and was so glad I did. It was more an observation of the mainly elderly women in this home being, it must be said, pretty well looked after, treated well by the staff and highlighting the abandonment of family. The gentleman struggled with some of the technology, he was romanced by one lonely lady, it was a very sweet and touching piece of film. Not at all depressing as so many of these programmes are, but really quite lovely.

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Artaylar Tue 20-Apr-21 14:01:30

I saw this late last night on BBC 4, and am so glad that I did.

Undercover OAP: The Mole Agenct is a Storyville documentary about an 83-year-old widower hired to go undercover and investigate a case of potential abuse in a Chilean nursing home. His client, the concerned daughter of a resident, suspects her mother is being abused and hires him to find out what is really happening.

From what I could see while aspects of the care home were not perfect, neither was it the hell hole I'd been expecting when I first started to watch the programme. Indeed there were aspects of the home that were very heart warming and inspiring, including the close involvement of the residents with the funeral of one of the residents that had died - something I've never come across with care homes in the UK.

It turns out that the real abuse was the abandonment of the residents by their families and their resultant isolation and profound lonlieness. This left the widower concerned to conclude that his client had hired him out of a sense of guilt for abandoning her mother.

If you have not already seen it, I highly recommend it. Yes, in many ways it is absolutely heart breaking, though there are some lovely little touches of humour as well.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000th7v/storyville-undercover-oap-the-mole-agent

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