Video Cameras Can Help Document Maryland Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Nursing homes have long been fairly scrutinized for the level of care that they provide to residents. Indeed, it is difficult to go more than a day or two without reading a headline discussing a family’s claims that a nursing home employee has abused their family member.

With the advent of affordable and low-profile video-recording technology, more families are considering placing a camera in their loved one’s room in hopes of being able to see how their loved one is being treated. In Maryland nursing homes, families can place cameras in a loved one’s room as long as both the resident as well as the nursing home are made aware and consent to the placement of the camera.

Under Vera’s Law, families can install a camera under certain circumstances. A few of the requirements are:

  • Notice must be posted in a common area indicating that there is a video-recording device;
  • The camera may not be hidden;
  • The camera must be mounted in a fixed location and cannot rotate;
  • No audio may be recorded; and
  • Other residents in the room must also consent.

While it may seem that the requirement that the camera remain visible defeats the purpose of a camera, it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of a camera is to deter abuse, rather than necessarily catching an employee in the act. The idea is that it is better to prevent abuse or neglect altogether rather than obtain evidence of wrongdoing.

Video Recording Documents Abuse in Nursing Home

Earlier this month, a family member of a nursing home resident in Raleigh, North Carolina discovered that her father was being abused by nursing home residents. According to a recent news report, the woman installed a hidden camera after her father complained of abuse while residing at the facility. The man was recovering from a previous stroke and was temporarily placed in the nursing home.

The woman, who told reporters that she placed the camera in hopes of disproving her father’s accounts, explained that she was shocked and sickened to see employees ridicule her father after he fell out of his bed and soiled himself. Evidently, the video shows employees shaming the elderly man, asking what wrongs he committed in his life to be in such a condition in his old age. A subsequent investigation revealed that similar reports had been made by other residents of the nursing home.

Has Your Loved One Been Subject to Abuse or Neglect?

If you have a loved one in a Maryland nursing home, and you have reason to believe that they have been mistreated, contact an attorney at the Maryland nursing home abuse law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. At Lebowitz & Mzhen, we represent victims and their families in a wide range of Maryland personal injury claims, including those arising in Maryland nursing homes. To learn more, call 410-654-3600 to schedule your free consultation with a dedicated Maryland personal injury attorney.

More Blog Posts:

Recent Investigative Report Reveals High Rate of Nursing Home Abuse, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published May 21, 2018.

Nursing Home Employees Are More Likely to Abuse “Difficult” Residents, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published May 7, 2018.

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