When a woman aged 90 asked to be served fish and chips by a waiter wearing a thong, her care home was more than happy to oblige.
After all, she had requested it as part of the home's 'Make a Wish' scheme which sees staff trying to make residents' dreams come true.
An employee, wearing a see-through plastic apron over the skimpy black undergarment, duly fulfilled the elderly lady's demand, serving her her favorite dish in the dining room.
Woodland Care Home
A 90-year-old resident of a care home had her 'wish' fulfilled and was served fish and chips - by a member of staff wearing a thong
But while she enjoyed her
cheeky treat, not everyone saw the funny side.
In fact, one saw rather more than they found palatable - namely the waiter's bare behind and 'endowment' - and complained to the management that it was unprofessional and degrading.
Yesterday bosses at the home in Cornwall apologized and admitted staff may have 'overstepped the mark'.
Details of the incident at Woodland House in St Austell were leaked in a fax sent by a whistle blower to senior management at charity Cornwall Care, which runs the home and 17 others in the county.
The anonymous source, understood to be a worker at the home, said: 'A volunteer was asked to purchase the garment.
'He came back with a black lady's thong. On the night, other clients in the dining room were told of the event and told that if they didn't like it they could turn their head.
'The thong that was worn had a see-through plastic apron over the front. The back part of the body was bare enough to see the black narrow band over the rear area.
'Mind you, one could see the man's endowment through the clear plastic front.' The fax continued: '
'This is not providing professional services or standards. It does however, degrade Cornwall Care.
'It also tells us the manager is abusing her position and needs to be demoted or resign. This behaviour is not acceptable.
'Will we be asked to wear a bikini next week at work to meet with a male client's wish, we ask?'
According to the source, managers first asked one member of staff to act as the waiter but he refused and a second employee stepped forward and stripped off to serve the fish and chips on Monday.
The care home has 36 elderly residents in 30 single rooms and three shared rooms.
Tracie North, director of operations and quality for Cornwall Care, said: 'The care of our clients is our number one priority and fundamental to this is giving them choices and respecting their wishes as adults.
Cornwall Care runs a Make a Wish initiativeand while requests are typically for a day trip out or even a pasty and a pint, one of our residents recently asked if she could have a fish and chips supper served by a man wearing a thong.
'To make this lady's slightly unusual wish come true, it's possible our staff overstepped the mark and, while the wish was carried out in a lighthearted way, we are sorry if anyone was offended.
'The lady herself, her family and the member of staff who acted as her waiter believe that while it may have been a bit risque, the wish was carried out with the utmost respect for all those involved and taken in the good humored way it was intended by residents and staff present at the time.
'We will continue to encourage staff to be innovative in the way we run our care homes but we will be speaking with all our managers to ensure that they know where to draw the line in future.'
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