Show #265 Airing Sunday, August 1, 2004
Your spouse, your parent, your grandma and grandpa, should be treated with respect. That’s a basic right.
No one surrenders this right to be treated with dignity, just because they enter a nursing home. In fact, federal law says all residents in nursing homes are entitled to quality care, free from abuse and neglect. Abuse and neglect are criminal acts.
Now, working in a nursing home is a tough job. There’s no doubt about it. Many nursing home employees are under-paid, over-worked, and under-appreciated. But that does not justify ignoring a patient’s pleas for a drink, or a request to be taken to the toilet. That does not justify failing to reposition a bedridden patient, causing painful bedsores. That does not justify berating, ridiculing or cursing a resident. And that never justifies hitting, pinching, shoving, or slapping a patient.
How can we protect our loved ones from abuse and neglect? There is nothing as effective as family involvement. Frequent visits send a clear message that you are watching, that the quality of care is being noticed. And visitation is the best way to detect problems of abuse and neglect at the earliest stages, before they become severe.
But what if you can’t visit all that often? Maybe you work, you’re raising young children, you’re taking care of your own household. Or perhaps you live in Euclid, while your parent’s in Westlake, or Medina, or Boston. Is there any way to watch over your parent from a distance?
Nothing can replace personal interaction with your loved one, and with the facility’s staff. But modern technology provides a partial solution. It’s called a “granny cam.” A small, unobtrusive camera that can be used to watch over your loved one and assure that he or she gets quality care, 24/7.
You can take a tiny camera and hide it in almost anything: a smoke detector, fire alarm, thermostat, even a radio or a book. The camera can see through a pinhole.
Let me show you how it works. Here there’s a tiny camera inside this motion detector. The motion detector would be mounted inconspicuously on a wall. Now watch. The camera can see what’s going on in your parent’s room.
The video can be sent to a VCR, or to a website. You can watch from your own home, miles away!
People have been using “nanny cams” to watch over their children for years. “Granny cams” are the logical next step. And though they’re fairly new, they’ve already been used successfully.
For example, in one case, an elderly gentleman told his son that an aid in the nursing home roughly shoved him into bed at nights, hurting him. A granny cam was installed with the nursing home administration’s permission, and the next night it caught the aid abusing the elderly man. He was immediately fired.
Abuse and neglect of our loved ones is criminal, it’s inexcusable, and it must be stopped. Your presence is the best protection. But if you can’t constantly be there, “virtual visitation” may be the next best thing.
Talk to the nursing home. Some allow granny cams, others don’t. And you may want to consider using a granny cam at home, especially if you’re bringing in care providers.
If you’d like more information, you might wish to contact Charles and Associates. They are a wholesaler of surveillance equipment, and can refer you to a dealer near you. Their number is 216-328-9544. Or you can look up granny cams on the Internet.
