Recordings to Substantiate Claims of Elder Abuse
According to the article, installing cameras in residents’ rooms at nursing homes intervenes in the issue of elder abuse a bit too late in the process. Rather than exploring the reasons that people engage in acts of nursing home abuse, the cameras (and the footage they record) aim to substantiate claims of abuse when they happen. Or, at best, they might discourage an employee from abusing a particular resident who has a camera installed in his or her room.
In other words, simply putting up cameras does not help us to better understand the nature of nursing home abuse in order to combat it in a more organic way.
Cameras Create Tension Among Patients, Caregivers, and Colleagues
In addition, the article suggests that having cameras in rooms can actually make care for the elderly less personal. In many cases, nurses and other caregivers feel uncomfortable knowing that they are being filmed, and the relationships they develop or maintain with their elderly patients or loved ones become “less organic.” No one is investigating the “possible ripple effects on care” that can result from the installation of nursing home cameras.
In addition to potentially creating a more tense relationship between patient and caregiver, the installation of cameras can also “create workplace tension.” Based on a 2014 study, trust between employees and nursing home management can suffer when cameras are installed throughout a facility.
Another problem, the article suggests, is that nursing home cameras do not address the issue of understaffing—a common cause of nursing home neglect. Indeed, some advocates argue that cameras or other electronic monitoring devices look like an easy solution to the problem of nursing home abuse, but the answer just is not so easy. In the end, if staff members who perpetrate acts of physical nursing home abuse are not deterred by cameras, we are not doing much to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. While it is important to have evidence of nursing home abuse, we should be thinking about more ways to prevent it in the first place.
If you or someone you love has sustained personal injuries in a nursing home as a result of elder abuse or neglect, it is important to discuss your case with an experienced San Diego nursing home abuse lawyer as soon as possible. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to learn more about how we can help.
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