With more and more cases of care abuse within nursing homes and frightening stories of the elderly falling on the rise, more and more individuals are considering the use of “granny cams“. This brings into question, should we or should we not install cameras or “granny cams”into nursing home facilities and the homes of our loved ones? A granny cam is a camera used to monitor the care of your elderly loved ones, sometimes installed with or without the elder’s or nursing homes consent. Essentially, this practice involves spying on your loved ones with the intentions of improving their overall safety and well being. Some states currently allow the families of their residents to install these cameras while others remain on the fence about the topic. In this article we will examine the potential benefits, issues, and morality of the use of granny cams to monitor our loved ones.
The use of granny cams within nursing homes is most common when a loved one suspects a case of abuse within the home and is looking to gather evidence of such. Other facilities install these cameras themselves to help disprove or discourage any cases of abuse and monitor training. The downside to the use of these cameras can be an invasion of privacy for all involved parties.Imagine the family is visiting within the nursing home and now unbeknownst to them their visit is being recorded. Aside from that, there may be certain aspects of their life that your loved one wishes to remain private within the nursing home. A more important factor to consider is the installation and use of these cameras could be a direct violation of the law in some states. In all states, the individual must be notified of the camera as well as provide consent to be monitored.
In the end, the main proponent behind the use of these cameras is fueled by trust or lack of trust, ranging from suspecting abuse or simply not trusting your loved one to care for his/herself. If you are simply concerned with your loved one remembering to take certain medications on time, consider using other less extreme methods such as Alexa to set reminder for medication. You can also requests shared calendars and text updates from your nursing home providers. In order to reduce the need for these cameras, it is essential to increase communication and visibility between all involved parties. If you suspect your loved one maybe in danger, use common sense, actively listen, asses and correct the situation.
If you or someone you love is interested in learning more about Long Term Care Insurance be sure to visit: LTC TREE for more information.