As the population ages, nursing homes are becoming more popular and a real alternative to many seniors. My parents were both in one at one time. While most nursing homes and assisted living facilities are good to great, some are not. Financial constraints limit the quality of employee they can get leading to all sorts of problems.
It has been estimated that up to as many as two million seniors are victims of abuse of all kinds in nursing homes. Elder abuse is an under recognized problem with devastating and even life threatening consequences. Only one in six actual cases is reported because seniors fear reprisals from their care givers.
Elder abuse can occur anywhere - in the home, in nursing homes, or other institutions. It affects seniors across all socio-economic groups, cultures, and races. Based on available information, women and "older" elders are more likely to be victimized. Dementia is a significant risk factor. It is a big and growing problem.
Well my friend Bill's mom had been in a nursing home for less than two months. She had early signs of dementia. She liked where she was and said the care staff were all very nice. Bill could only visit once a week because his home was in another city. She had her room fixed up the way she wanted it but kept her personal mementos to a minimum.
On one visit Bill's mom related an issue she was having with a staff member who was threatening her over small things. Bill mentioned it to the floor supervisor who immediately came to the employee's defense. The supervisor chalked it up to the dementia and an active imagination.
Bill was still suspicious so he got his mom a nice new wall clock for her room. The wall clock had a hidden camera, microphone and DVR all in one neat looking wall clock. Bill aimed it in the direction he wanted, set the recording speed to the lowest setting giving him 144 hrs on an 8GB SD card.
Bill figured he could check it once a week and really see what was going on. The camera is motion activated so a minimum of down time. When you are ready to playback remove the SD card and insert it into your computer or alternatively use the RCA cable to your TV for easy no brainer playback.
There was nothing suspicious the first week he checked so he felt better. Week two was different though. An orderly was seen going through his mom's purse and an aide was verbally abusing his mom about medications.
He had the proof he needed to get those two employees fired and save his mom from further abuse. If you want a simple and easy way to record what is going on when you are not there-this is it!
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