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Oklahoma Considers Hidden Camera Law to Protect Nursing Home Residents

The Oklahoma Legislature is in the midst of deciding whether to approve a measure that would allow loved ones to place hidden cameras in resident rooms in order to document potential abuse. The issue of hidden camera placement is currently up to each individual facility to decide.

As proposed, Senate Bill 587 would allow nursing home residents to put cameras inside their rooms. However, there is an amendment to the bill that would potentially penalize anyone who sets up a camera without first obtaining permission.

The bill is being advocated for by three sisters who caught workers on camera mistreating their mother while she was a resident of the Quail Creek Nursing Home. According to one of the sisters, who placed the camera in her mother’s room,”One of them had put rubber gloves in her hand and she was stuffing them in mother’s throat.” Although their mother died last year, the sisters remain strong advocates for the bill.

While we always hope that our loved ones won’t be the victims of nursing home abuse or neglect, the sad truth is that many are. With many elderly individuals suffering from dementia or other ailments which impede their ability to communicate, absent objective markers, we may continue to remain unaware that they are being mistreated. Bills like this one would provide a potential way for family members to ensure that their loved ones are receiving the quality of care that they need and deserve.

With today’s advances in medical are, Americans are leading longer, more productive lives, and the average age of our national population continues to steadily increase. Some elderly citizens move into nursing homes because their relatives cannot take adequate care of them. When an adult son or daughter makes the difficult decision to send their mother or father to a nursing facility, the child should be able to have faith that the people in charge of the home will take good care of their parent. Sadly, many nursing home residents are subject to from mistreatment and neglect.

If you believe that your loved one or an elderly friend in the Maryland or the Washington D.C. areas has suffered from nursing home abuse or neglect, get in touch with the knowledgeable nursing home negligence and abuse attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen right away. We can evaluate your case and help assess whether your loved one or friend may have a cause of action against the nursing home, and what you should do next. We have many years of experience assisting people across Maryland in securing compensation for injuries, and in some cases wrongful death, caused as a result of nursing home neglect or abuse. Contact our office today at (800) 654-1949 in order to set up your free and confidential initial consultation. You can also contact us online through our website.

More Blog Posts:
Nursing Home Fined by State Authorities for Overmedicating Patient, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 23, 2013
Syracuse Nursing Home Faces Federal Sanctions for Substandard Care, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 16, 2013

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