As another state considers allowing in-room cameras, provider group says they run counter to home-like setting

A bill that would allow families to install electronic surveillance cameras in resident rooms in assisted living communities is moving through the Rhode Island Legislature.

S 2263, which also would apply to nursing homes, passed the state Senate last week and now moves to the state House. The bill would allow family members, with the consent of their loved ones, to install their own cameras in a resident’s room to remotely monitor them.

Senior living industry advocacy organizations oppose the bill, saying it goes against the goal of creating a home-like environment for residents. Proponents, however, say that in-room cameras can provide a measure of oversight and protection for residents. 

LeadingAge Rhode Island said although the association appreciates interest in protecting residents, the legislation raises practical and philosophical concerns.

“We are concerned about the legislation that is being proposed because of privacy issues and because it runs counterintuitive to our decades-long concerted effort to implement resident-centered care, ensure dignity in the care setting, and create a home-like environment,” LeadingAge RI Executive Director James Nyberg told McKnight’s Senior Living.

Providers have made investments in their buildings and their staff members over the past decade to implement resident-centered care policies in an effort to promote a home-like environment, he added.

“The installation of video cameras to monitor every move residents make would seriously disrupt these efforts, add a ‘big brother’ feeling to our nursing homes or assisted living residences, and return us to an era of institutionalized care,” Nyberg said. “Cameras in resident rooms would be an intrusion of the privacy and dignity of the people we serve.”

Instead of video surveillance, Nyberg suggested a more proactive approach of investing in adequate oversight, staffing levels and education to prevent neglect and abuse from occurring in senior living communities.

At least eight states — Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Utah — have laws mandating that assisted living communities accommodate resident requests to install electronic monitoring equipment in their rooms. New Jersey also has a “Safe Care Cam” program that loans micro-surveillance equipment to healthcare consumers, including families of assisted living and nursing homes residents.

Source: McKnights Seniorliving