Support the campaign.....cctv in dementia care homes
- Thread starter CarpeDiem
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Sorry, but I'm against it. I'd move my wife out of any home that put it in other than possibly in the communal areas so that incidents not seen can be viewed later.
If a care home needs cameras then it's time to move out.
I hate it when someone has a problem and tries to use that as if it gives them the right to interfere with other people's lives.
K
If a care home needs cameras then it's time to move out.
I hate it when someone has a problem and tries to use that as if it gives them the right to interfere with other people's lives.
K
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I'm with Kevin on this,don't forget the PWD will also be filmed and often don't have the capacity to agree
The question for me is where do you draw the line? CCTV can't be used everywhere in a CH for privacy reasons, so any abuse might get moved to areas such as bathrooms etc. which would make proof against assailants even harder to come by. At least covert surveillance by concerned relatives or police is easier to install if the perpetrators don't think they are being routinely filmed.
What saddens me is that those sort of carers slip through the net and get the job in the first place.
What saddens me is that those sort of carers slip through the net and get the job in the first place.
Both my parents ended their lives in nursing homes,my younger brother who has severe learning disabilities has been in residential care since he was 12,he is now 58.What is it I don't understand?
I would be in favour of it. My husband was seriously considering putting hidden cameras in my Mums care home room because she was telling us the staff were often being rude to her, sometimes ignoring her completely and were not listening to her concerns. If I mentioned anything they blamed it on Mum so it was very difficult to ascertain what was the truth.
On reflection I wish we had installed it because I would have hard evidence to show to the LA. All I have (but I haven't told them yet, I'm keeping that up my sleeve) is the Manager being extremely rude to my brother and pushing her face into his and saying that my Mother was a very difficult person to care for. He recorded that on his phone. She has been in hospital about 8 weeks now and not one single person at either hospital has not liked my Mum. They all think she's lovely and even the staff at the medical centre said "oh we all love your Mum when she used to come in for her prescriptions because she has a lovely smile and always has a chat."
I see CCTV as a safeguard. Parents use it when they employ Nannies and in many cases I've seen, it is a jolly good job they did!
On reflection I wish we had installed it because I would have hard evidence to show to the LA. All I have (but I haven't told them yet, I'm keeping that up my sleeve) is the Manager being extremely rude to my brother and pushing her face into his and saying that my Mother was a very difficult person to care for. He recorded that on his phone. She has been in hospital about 8 weeks now and not one single person at either hospital has not liked my Mum. They all think she's lovely and even the staff at the medical centre said "oh we all love your Mum when she used to come in for her prescriptions because she has a lovely smile and always has a chat."
I see CCTV as a safeguard. Parents use it when they employ Nannies and in many cases I've seen, it is a jolly good job they did!
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I wouldn't like to be a carer working under surveillance. It supports lack of trust and as chemmy said, there are still areas where personal care is administered where cctv would not be allowed.
If you are an abuser, you will find a way no matter what safeguards are in place.
In my opinion, a better campaign would be for recognition of quality care by better pay and working conditions and a higher status , accorded to all carers.
If you are an abuser, you will find a way no matter what safeguards are in place.
In my opinion, a better campaign would be for recognition of quality care by better pay and working conditions and a higher status , accorded to all carers.
I don't think any abuse would happen in communal areas it would more likely to happen in the privacy of the residents rooms with no witnesses to see what was happening. My heart goes out to you SnowWhite to hear what your mum went through in her care home and quite understand that on reflection wish you had installed CCTV. It is a difficult one to decide on, it invades privacy but on the other hand could protect pwd against
abuse. My mum in the early days of being in her care home used to say that she disliked certain carers and that they weren't looking after her properly, but she was so unhappy and desperate to come home that we thought it was just her trying to make me feel more guilty and take her home and could not find any evidence of her not not being well cared for. Eventually things settled down and she began to like the carers and said no more about not being looked after and I had no further concerns. I think this is a very difficult one, if I thought that mum was suffering any inappropriate care, I would probably install a camera myself in her room without the care home knowing, but could this cause more problems if they found out and any implications that could follow???? I don't know.
abuse. My mum in the early days of being in her care home used to say that she disliked certain carers and that they weren't looking after her properly, but she was so unhappy and desperate to come home that we thought it was just her trying to make me feel more guilty and take her home and could not find any evidence of her not not being well cared for. Eventually things settled down and she began to like the carers and said no more about not being looked after and I had no further concerns. I think this is a very difficult one, if I thought that mum was suffering any inappropriate care, I would probably install a camera myself in her room without the care home knowing, but could this cause more problems if they found out and any implications that could follow???? I don't know.
I dont think that having CCTV would prevent abuse - its an easy knee-jerk reaction to abuse. Are you considering having cameras in the bedrooms, the toilets, the shower-rooms? Where is the privacy and dignity in that? I would have hated mum to be showing all her "bits" on camera and pre dementia she would have been mortified to think that was what was happening. And if you are talking about perverts I could imagine some people getting a kick out out of watching this - how are you going to prevent that?
It also wont prevent any abuse anyway - it will just be hidden away from the cameras (there are always places) and then it will become harder to prove.
The feeling that you are being monitored and lack of trust will drive all the good carers away, so all you will achieve is having worse care.
What is needed is system of training with recognised qualification (NVC etc), wages to match and a national register of carers so that the abusive ones cant get another job in caring.
It also wont prevent any abuse anyway - it will just be hidden away from the cameras (there are always places) and then it will become harder to prove.
The feeling that you are being monitored and lack of trust will drive all the good carers away, so all you will achieve is having worse care.
What is needed is system of training with recognised qualification (NVC etc), wages to match and a national register of carers so that the abusive ones cant get another job in caring.
I've been working in Home Care part time for around 15 years and tbh, if I found out that I had been covertly filmed, I wouldn't want to work in that home again. Common areas like lounges and corridors in Nursing Homes, maybe, as long as everyone involved, staff, residents and visitors could be made aware they were being monitored.
A CH cannot film you covertly as a matter of course, unless they had a valid and lawful reason. Communal filming would be made clear when you started employment or if it was introduced at a later date.
they do have cameras in dad's care home - but only so that the staff can immediately see along corridors that run at right angles to the main corridor so that they can keep an eye on entrances and exits, so it's for security - and it does help to spot any interactions amongst residents that need intervention - there's no tape of the video feeds, just a monitor in the senior's room on each floor
I asked and it isn't their policy to even have eyeholes in the doors of the residents' bedrooms to be able to check on them without disturbing them (sometimes his would really help with dad) as they feel it denies the person privacy; they are trained to knock on the door before they enter
I'm happy with the cameras they have - I would not want a camera in dad's room unless it was specifically to support him and agreed with me first - I don't want a general policy of having cameras and taped video feeds everywhere
though I suspect that I wouldn't hold back from putting in a covert camera myself if I had credible suspicions of abuse (not just to check that all is OK)
I asked and it isn't their policy to even have eyeholes in the doors of the residents' bedrooms to be able to check on them without disturbing them (sometimes his would really help with dad) as they feel it denies the person privacy; they are trained to knock on the door before they enter
I'm happy with the cameras they have - I would not want a camera in dad's room unless it was specifically to support him and agreed with me first - I don't want a general policy of having cameras and taped video feeds everywhere
though I suspect that I wouldn't hold back from putting in a covert camera myself if I had credible suspicions of abuse (not just to check that all is OK)
I think there is a danger of putting the fear of God into anyone who is considering a care home.Yes there are some bad ones and abuse of any vulnerable person is repugnant.But the majority are at least adequate,many are good,some excellent.Probably very few are perfect but that is true of all institutions.
I agree notsogooddtr, most staff in most care homes (as with most teachers in most schools, most doctors in most hospitals, most police officers .... most people) work hard and with consideration, putting up with a great deal from some challenging behaviours of those they encounter in their workplace
I agree with you Kassy. We have all seen footage on TV where concerned families have hidden cameras in their loved ones rooms at Care homes and thanks to their efforts abusive and neglectful staff have been uncovered and sacked.
If the hidden cameras had NOT been there, the abuse would still be going on as many elderly or learning disabled people are unable to do any thing about it.
If the hidden cameras had NOT been there, the abuse would still be going on as many elderly or learning disabled people are unable to do any thing about it.
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So all of us with relatives in residential care are allowing our loved ones to be abused?Over the past 5 years I have had contact with 9 care homes/nursing homes.I have not witnessed abuse in any of them.
We all tend to extrapolate from our own experiences. How can anyone make sweeping generalisations about all care homes (or indeed anything else) from those either they or their friends and relatives have experienced? Then there is the problem that bad news travels fast; nobody reads news stories that say 'everything is fine, just as expected'. We seem to have lost our sense of proportion or probability and our ability to assess risks sensibly.
I would not want to undermine in any way the terrible experiences that some people have had, and they are right to warn of the need for vigilance, but it's a long way from there to imply that all care homes abuse their residents. It's distressing too for those who have to make this most difficult of decisions.
I would not want to undermine in any way the terrible experiences that some people have had, and they are right to warn of the need for vigilance, but it's a long way from there to imply that all care homes abuse their residents. It's distressing too for those who have to make this most difficult of decisions.
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