Cameras in Nursing Homes

When your loved one enters a nursing home, the process is emotional. You may fear that your loved one will not be treated properly or that something bad may happen. With all of these thoughts going through your mind you may think that the nursing home manager putting a camera in your loved one’s room is the best solution. Some nursing homes monitor their employees through the use of video cameras. But, the truth is there are both positives and negatives to having a camera put in your loved one’s room. These are a few factors to consider before having a camera put into your loved one’s room.

Pros of Cameras in Homes

By having a nursing home manager put a camera in your loved one’s nursing home room, it would be possible for a family member to oversee how their loved one is treated. If any neglect or abuse occurs in a room it will get recorded. The abuser would be immediately punished for their actions and fired. This would ensure the safety of your loved one and the other residents in the home.

Another positive use of a camera in a nursing home is to have it act as a deterrent for neglect or abuse. If the staff knows that there are cameras in the rooms they may not attempt to neglect or abuse any resident to begin with. Cameras can therefore provide some benefits when it comes to the safety of residents.

If cameras were to be monitored by nursing home staff, it could be potentially helpful. It could ensure that all residents are safe and doing what they are supposed to. For example, if a resident is not supposed to get up on their own, the staff would be able to see them trying and move around unsupervised and go to help them instead of risking the resident falling and injuring him or herself.

Cons of Cameras in Homes

However, there are some negative factors involved in having cameras in nursing homes. You may not have a problem with a camera in your loved one’s room. But, your loved one may not view having a camera in their room positively. Your loved one may consider the camera to be an invasion of privacy. A camera really does limit physical privacy as well as emotional privacy. For many residents, being in a nursing home is difficult enough without knowing that 100% of their privacy is gone.

In addition to privacy, there is a dignity factor that needs to be considered. Elderly people are not children. They have lived a full life with numerous experiences and years of wisdom. Though not as physically abled as they once were, elderly people do not want to be thought of as helpless. Not many people would like to have their bathing and intimate care on display for others to see.

Another potential negative to having cameras in rooms is that staff could rely too heavily on them to care for residents. It may begin to limit physical checks and verbal communication with residents that could be upsetting to your loved one.

Cameras

A friendly and personal relationship between nursing home staff and residents may be changed or eliminated by the use of cameras in rooms. Nursing home staff could fear that whoever is watching on the other end of the camera will misinterpret their actions and fear repercussions, causing nursing home staff to be more distant.

As you can see, there are positives and negatives to placing cameras in nursing homes. While they can act as a way to deter or document neglect or abuse, they can also limit your loved one’s privacy. Be sure to talk to your nursing home about its camera policy. If you or your loved one feel uncomfortable with this policy, be sure to communicate this to the staff.