Why Is It Important To Have Surveillance Cameras In Nursing Home

The video gone viral to the public and internet, though it was said to be a controversial issue because the care home or most of the care homes don’t allow any camera recorder to be put on the facility without their consent as it may affect the privacy and confidentially of the care home.

Some care aides were wonderful and went out of their way to go the extra mile; however, I noticed many of them didn’t tell the residents what they were going to be doing before they would do it, which would scare many of them. Often the residents would scream or wince from shock or pain, as the care aides would begin their care without prior disclosure. Many residents were not verbal, or had dementia and that was considered to be the factor in which it was justifiable to treat them this way. I was dismayed at how I witnessed the lights turn on, the blankets torn off, the residents being turned from side to side and their briefs being taken off, leaving them cold and completely exposed without any notice or indication of what was going to happen.

There are have been many cases of nursing home and elder abuse nation wide and all around the world. One case that occurred in Baltimore, Maryland that involved a man who worked in a long term care facility and hit one of his residents.(Lee, 2013) This resident was an 84 year old man. This man was only caught

The nursing homes also provide opening hours for resident’s family and friends to come and visit them which prevents social exclusion and isolation. Family and friends can be a vital part of the resident’s emotional and social development.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1 In some senior homes, many patients are treated poorly, many employees don't even take good care of their patients because they ignore them or do not give them the right medication. Over 90% of Nursing Homes in the United States have had some kind of violation or confirmed complaint in the last 3 years. Some of these issues are minor and some are life

As the healthcare system in this country has changed, so have traditional nursing homes. Families have the right to expect that their loved ones will be taken care of by professionals in a caring environment. Unfortunately, may people are being abused and neglected in nursing homes. It is very clear that abuse is a serious problem among nursing home patients, and something needs to be done to put a stop to it.

If you're concerned about elder abuse and neglect, you're not being paranoid. As terrible as it sounds, the senior population is subject to quite a bit of abuse in nursing homes.

anything from insufficient protection and fire hazards, to poor food storage and preparation, to inadequate staffing hours. More distrubingly, “20% of nursing homes abused, neglected, or mistreated residents in almost half of all states for the second consecutive year, says the report card.” Fox, Stevenson (2014).

Some of the reasons for this may be fear of increased abuse or even simply believing that reporting will not change the situation. Professionals have the dilemma whether or not to say anything because of ignorance of how or what to report which prolongs the neglect and abuse (Brandl et al., 2006). As a healthcare professional, you are mandated to report any abuse you witness. Sadly, elder abuse is a crime that is underreported, and understudied that impact millions of elders (McClennen, J.C.,2010). Seeing firsthand what goes on in a long-term care facility where many of the elderly are virtually helpless, opened my eyes to how immense this issue is in our Country. I realized that if things go unnoticed in care facilities, they will be ignored in domestic setting, assisted living facilities and anywhere else for that matter. There has to be some kind of solution to this

The federal government is responsible for setting out regulations for nursing home facilities all over America. It requires that require that these facilities to adhere to the codes of conduct, uphold the constitutional rights of residents in these facilities and uphold professional conduct (G.J.Jorgest, 2006). In many states such as Iowa, the local government include clauses that are aimed at making the lives of those in these facilities more bearable either as they brave their illnesses or as they age. These clauses are designed to be consistent with the regulations set by the federal government and are in most cases stricter.

An estimated twenty-one percent of nursing home residents are neglected at least once in the past twelve months and more than twenty-four percent are abused at least once during their entire stay (Schub & Kornusky, 2014). In a study of 718 family members and others responsible for those ages 60 and older receiving long-term care in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or paid homecare, nearly 30 percent reported at least one instance of elder abuse in the past year. Neglect was the most common form and sexual abuse the least (Anetzberger, 2012).

Enforcing laws in nursing and care facilities will directly benefit both the elderly patients and the care physician. With laws enforced, and families and patients informed, a world of worry dissolves from the patient and the family. When patients and families don’t need to worry about the safety or livelihood in a nursing or care home, it benefits everyone. The census bureau states, “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people 65 years of age and older accounted for 12.5% of the US population in 2000” (Sellas M.D.). It would be a huge relief for everyone if laws were enforced. Also, the work environment for the care and nursing physicians would greatly benefit from the enforcement of elder abuse safety regulations. As stated previously, most acts of violence in the nursing and care fields occur when employees collect low wages and feel miserable because of their working environment. When the government enforces laws, it creates a better working environment and then a safer environment for patients. In many cases, nurses and other caregivers may not know exactly what forms elder abuse can take. They need to be informed, in a variety of ways. According to the Oxford Journal, “There is an annual world Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the

However, elder abuse is also common among the millions of elder Americans who reside in nursing homes. A study where 2,000 nursing home residents were interviewed, reported that 44% of the residents had been abused and 95% said they had been neglected or seen another resident neglected. They also state that 91% of nursing homes lack adequate staff to properly care for patients and 36% are known to have been in violation of elderly abuse laws (National Center on Elder Abuse). This information is extremely alarming. If these facts have already been uncovered, why is it that no one is doing anything to prevent this from happening to others?

Background: Two staff are seen carrying the old woman and throwing her onto her bed. (YouTube) A nursing home along Braddell Road has been suspended from admitting new patients with effect from 12 April after a patient was reported to have been mistreated. The incident at Nightingale Nursing Home came to light after a video of a patient being mistreated was sent to local broadcaster Mediacorp. The footage was shot by a hidden camera on a patient's bedside. In the video, an elderly woman patient is seen sitting stark naked beside a bed with the room ceiling fans on. She is then picked up by two hospital staff and thrown onto a bed, before a staff is shown slapping her on her mouth when she wailed in pain. Reports say the patient has been a resident there for four years and is suffering from stroke. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said it has suspended the nursing home from admitting new patients from 12 April until further notice. The nursing home has also disciplined the staff involved and put in place additional measures such as ward rounds by senior staff, regular meetings with patients and their family members, and management check on staff conduct and patients In a statement to Yahoo! Singapore, a MOH spokesperson said, investigations into the video recording show "significant lapses in the care standards" to the patient in question. "This should not have happened. There should have been tighter supervision of staff rendering care to vulnerable patients. Patient's dignity

People reasonably expect privacy inside a house or fenced yard not visible from the street and inside living facilities such as in hospitals and nursing homes. Photographers need permission to both enter and photograph these private places. However, anyone is fair game to be photographed and have their picture published if the photo was taken from a public place. This includes people seen through the windows of their own home (Dill, 178). However, one New York Court ruled that photographers shooting inside a restaurant needed permission because the restaurant was a public place for purposes of dining, and patrons dining there should reasonably be allowed to dine in peace (Dill, 177). Even though it is currently legal to photograph public figures in the privacy of their own homes, ethically speaking it does not mean these pictures should be published. However, because ethical codes are not working, there needs to be legal reform.