In our article entitled ‘The Prevalence Of Elder Abuse In Nursing Homes’ we offer up some shocking statistics on the prevalence of elder abuse in nursing homes, some of the reasons why and offer up some suggestions on how you can protect loved ones if they are in a long-term care facility such as a nursing home.
But don’t take our word for it. This Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General PDF report cites some pretty shocking statistics to back up our own stats. The chief among them is that 85% of nursing facilities reported at least one allegation of abuse or neglect to the office of The Inspector General in 2012. Nursing facilities are required to report all allegations of abuse, but only 53% of allegations of abuse or neglect and the subsequent investigation results were reported as federally required.
This article by the Fiscal Times is about Lisa Madigan, Atty. Gen. from Illinois, who is on a mission to bring nursing home elder abuse out of the shadows by shining a light on it. Her office is drafting legislation to be introduced later this year that would allow nursing home residents and their families to place cameras in their rooms to protect them.
Currently, five other states; Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington have laws or regulations allowing residents to maintain cameras in their rooms. Several other states are considering similar legislation.
While hidden cameras in rooms will not guarantee the safety of residents, it is about the only way that documentation can be gained that will lead to a prosecution of what is becoming a common crime-elder abuse.
Atty. Gen. Madigan makes the argument that surveillance cameras are so common nowadays that there is no reason why cameras shouldn’t be allowed in nursing homes. Her office gets close to 20,000 calls a year about suspected abuse or neglect in nursing homes. That’s just in Illinois! The big argument against hidden cameras in nursing homes is the privacy issue.
Atty. Generals in Ohio and New York have used hidden cameras in residents’ rooms to uncover abuse or neglect resulting in arrests or indictments. Many children or guardians of nursing home residents do not wait for official legal authority to put hidden cameras in their parents’ rooms but do it on their own, installing so-called “granny cams.”
In another story that is basically an editorial piece about hidden cameras in nursing homes, the author asks the question ‘Why not hidden cameras in nursing homes?’
Apparently, the AARP supports the idea of having hidden cameras in nursing homes. We think it is just a matter of time before hidden cameras are legalized in all states should a patient desire one in his or her room. Currently, there is no law forbidding them.
We have the largest selection of hidden cameras (162 of them) anywhere on the Internet including the addition of as many as 40 new Wi-Fi connectivity hidden cameras.
This Sony Alarm Clock WiFi Hidden Camera as shown here is a working digital alarm clock with FM radio. It has a user-friendly software interface with four recording options including motion activated recording. It features remote viewing via a PC or smartphone. The camera lens has a 75° viewing angle which makes it capable of covering most rooms. All video is date and time stamped for easy retrieval. When you need to see what’s going on in a location and you cannot be there, a remote viewing Wi-Fi hidden camera is the easiest way to do it.
Are your loved ones at risk in a nursing home? How can you protect them? We want to hear your thoughts.