If your parent, grandparent, or another family member is living in a nursing home, knowing that caregivers treat your loved one with the utmost of respect in all personal care matters would be comforting.
However, if you read the news, you know that nursing home residents are subject to abuse and neglect every single day. Unless you visit your loved one every day, installing a video camera may seem like an optimal solution to ensure that your family member is treated with the care and attention they deserve.
Much like using “nanny cams” to monitor your children, installing video cameras in your loved one’s nursing home room would provide you with peace of mind and a sense of relief by being able to monitor the well-being of your family member in the facility.
However, before you set up a video camera in the nursing home of your loved one, you need to understand possible legal issues with installing hidden video surveillance cameras inside a private nursing home room.
Can Home Surveillance Cameras Prevent Nursing Home Abuse?
Police in Hillsborough County arrested a 19-year-old caretaker after home surveillance video showed the man physically abusing an elderly man in his care. As reported by the True Crime Daily, the man was the on-duty caregiver for the 88-year-old man who required full-time care for basic needs.
Home surveillance footage showed the caregiver slapping the man multiple times and yelling at him. According to the report, the caregiver is also accused of punching the elderly man in the face, stomach, and head. Deputies said the caregiver pushed the man onto a bed and hit him in the stomach multiple times. The caregiver was charged with battery and abuse of an elderly or disabled adult.
If anything, the incident proves that video surveillance footage can help prevent nursing home abuse and punish caregivers who abuse and neglect the elderly in their care.
Is It Legal to Install a Video Surveillance Camera in a Nursing Home Room in Florida?
From a legal standpoint, setting video cameras in nursing homes is not as easy as it might seem. As of 2020, only eight states, including Washington and Kansas, allow the installation of surveillance cameras in nursing homes. Florida is not one of those states. However, those who want to set up a video camera in their loved one’s nursing home room must follow strict protocols.
Currently, under Florida law, it is illegal to place a video surveillance camera anywhere inside a nursing home, including a resident’s room, even if the resident consents and the camera is installed by the resident’s family.
In some cases, it may be possible to set up a video camera in your loved one’s nursing home room if you get permission from the facility’s supervisors. Family members of nursing home residents who choose to install video cameras without the facility’s permission or despite the nursing home’s rejection to approve the request to set up a surveillance camera may not be able to use the footage in a lawsuit because such evidence would be deemed inadmissible.
If you suspect that your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home, do not hesitate to speak with our Lakeland nursing home neglect attorney at The Turnbull Firm. Call at 863-324-3500 for a case review.
Resource:
truecrimedaily.com/2020/08/07/florida-caretaker-arrested-for-alleged-elder-abuse-of-88-year-old-man/