Stopping Abuse In Nursing Homes

When you put a loved one in a nursing home you expect them to be provided with the proper care, but this is not always the case. Keeping a close eye on our loved ones and their care givers is very smart, when you can't physically be there a good security camera system can help do this too.

With the consent of the patient's family, hidden security cameras were installed in 2 nursing homes in up state New york at the beginning of 2010. These cameras were part of an investigation that lasted seven weeks by the New York Attorney General's office. This investigation took place to watch over the vulnerable who often can't advocate for themselves. The Attorney General said, "My office is strongly committed to using all the tools at our disposal to make sure people are getting the medical treatment and care they deserve."

So at the end of the seven weeks, when the covert surveillance footage was reviewed the Attorney General's office they found several counts of neglect and abuse by the staff. Evidence was found in the recorded footage of employees failing to transfer patients out of bed to prevent bed sores, provide insulin when it was needed, provide range of motion exercises, provide skin and wound treatment and to check patients vital signs. Two Licensed practical nurses are also facing felony charges for falsifying records to cover it all up.

The Attorney General has recently announced that the use of these security cameras has helped his office to charge twenty-two employees found to be mistreating the residents at these two nursing homes. That's twenty- two found to be demonstrating criminal behavior at just two facilities, mean while there are thousands of nursing homes in this country alone. If this level of abuse was found at the two location in just a seven week period, then how much more widespread would the problem prove to be if these covert security cameras were seeing more use? It's clear that these problems aren't just happening in New York, but that is the one place to take these proactive measures so far, thanks to the Attorney General.

It's wonderful that the abuse has been put to a stop at these two facilities, but it needs to be put to a stop across the board. It's absolutely a great idea to keep an eye on our loved ones, even more so when you take stories like this in to consideration and there are many other tales like this one. In some states nursing homes have begun to allow the the family of patients to install covert cameras, we need to make it so that they all allow this or just give our business to those that do.