Parkinson launches elderly care report

STEREOTYPES of older people need to be banished in order to give those in care the dignity they deserved, Sir Michael Parkinson said yesterday.

The former chat-show host said older people, including his mother Freda Rose, who died at 96, were treated as "unworthy of our time and consideration" while in care.

Sir Michael described the bad aspects of her care, saying she was patted on the head and called "ducky" or "dear".

In his report published yesterday, Sir Michael, who has spent the past year as ambassador for the government's Dignity in Care campaign, said he wanted to encourage "an open public debate about the way we treat older people".