Post by Logan on Apr 22, 2016 0:32:13 GMT -6
Minnesota advocates, lawmakers spar over use of hidden cameras in nursing homes
For the first time, families seeking to protect their loved ones from maltreatment in nursing homes would have the right to monitor their care with electronic recording devices without fear of retaliation, under a bill proposed by Minnesota lawmakers.
The proposal would make Minnesota the sixth state to explicitly permit residents of long-term care facilities to install surveillance equipment in their private rooms. The legislation, which comes before a Senate hearing Monday and has already been dubbed the “Granny Cam Bill,” would prohibit nursing homes from retaliating against residents who choose to use electronic monitoring equipment.
It comes on the heels of several well-publicized cases in which hidden-camera footage was used to corroborate reports of abuse and neglect at Twin Cities-area nursing homes, some of which have led to criminal charges.
“No one should be treated differently because they choose to have a camera in their room,” said Sen. Alice Johnson, DFL-Blaine, the bill’s main sponsor, who said she drafted it partly in response to recent cases of abuse and neglect caught on camera.
Read more: www.startribune.com/minnesota-advocates-lawmakers-spar-over-use-of-hidden-cameras-in-nursing-homes/376631771/
For the first time, families seeking to protect their loved ones from maltreatment in nursing homes would have the right to monitor their care with electronic recording devices without fear of retaliation, under a bill proposed by Minnesota lawmakers.
The proposal would make Minnesota the sixth state to explicitly permit residents of long-term care facilities to install surveillance equipment in their private rooms. The legislation, which comes before a Senate hearing Monday and has already been dubbed the “Granny Cam Bill,” would prohibit nursing homes from retaliating against residents who choose to use electronic monitoring equipment.
It comes on the heels of several well-publicized cases in which hidden-camera footage was used to corroborate reports of abuse and neglect at Twin Cities-area nursing homes, some of which have led to criminal charges.
“No one should be treated differently because they choose to have a camera in their room,” said Sen. Alice Johnson, DFL-Blaine, the bill’s main sponsor, who said she drafted it partly in response to recent cases of abuse and neglect caught on camera.
Read more: www.startribune.com/minnesota-advocates-lawmakers-spar-over-use-of-hidden-cameras-in-nursing-homes/376631771/