Do You Support Allowing Recording in Assisted-Living Facilities?

What’s the story?

• Laws and regulations that affect long-term care facilities are being reviewed after a woman in a vegetative stage gave birth to a child on December 29th in a Phoenix assisted-living home.
• At least six states - Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington - have passed laws permitting families to install a camera in an assisted-living facility if the resident and resident’s roommate(s) agree to it.  
• Some nursing homes, however, have language in their admission contracts that ban cameras or limit their use.

What are both sides saying?

• Louisiana’s “granny-cam” law just went into effect on the first of the year. State Sen. Sharon Hewitt said it was a safety move.

"Most of us have loved ones that have been in nursing homes. We have all experienced that question of the quality of care, especially when you can't be there all the time. Particularly for folks who live far away from their loved ones, this is going to give them that ability to make a better judgment on the quality of care they are giving."

• Assisted-living industry groups have voiced their concerns over camera-related regulations. In June, New Jersey announced it would loan hidden cameras to family members who suspect their loved one is being mistreated in a long-term care facility. Jon Dolan, president and CEO of the Health Care Association of New Jersey, pushed back against the proposal.
• “Now, if this were done on a recording device with the sanctioning of law enforcement in a probable cause situation and we needed to keep it confidential, I would fully advise my facilities to participate in such an investigation,” Dolan said.

“But the idea that we’re just going to give these cameras out to people and let them do whatever they want with them because the Attorney General says so? I don’t think so.”

• Dolan said families should work with the nursing homes and assisted-living facilities if possible.

“Families and facilities can come together to conduct proper investigations and address complaints. And if they need to be surreptitious, I think we need to delineate some rules and regulations, so that if somebody is sneaking around with a camera, we know we’re not filming a roommate inappropriately.”

What do you think?

Do more states need to introduce “granny cam” laws? Should you be allowed to record your family members living in a nursing home or assisted-care facility? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / Rawpixel)