Using a Hidden Camera to Prove Negligence or Abuse in Nursing Home

As a child or family member of a nursing home patient or assisted living resident, your primary concern is to protect your loved one, which is why they are in the nursing home to begin with. Yet, they may not be getting the care and loving treatment that they need and deserve. One in five Florida nursing homes are on the state’s watch list for “dangerous nursing home conditions,” according to the nonprofit Families for Better Care Inc. and reported on by TC Palm of USA Today. If you have noticed signs of abuse or neglect, such as bed sores, unexplained bruising or cuts, broken bones from falls, or unexplained weight loss or weight gain, the time to take action is now, not later. Talking to an attorney is your best option to put the abuse or neglect to a swift and final end, as well as to seek compensation for your loved one.

Abuse and Neglect Cases Often Lack in Hard Evidence

Nursing homes, independent living, and assisted living facilities generally do everything in their power to deny wrongdoing. These businesses, and their staff members, know that it is often their word against the family or the resident themselves. And, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and the general cognitive decline that the victims tend to suffer from work in favor of the facility. Who is going to believe a 92-year-old with Alzhiemer’s over a credible nursing home representative or a panel of administrators? Abuse can be even harder to prove when the victim themselves do not understand or remember what happened, and the claim of abuse or neglect is coming from family members who recognize the signs of mistreatment. In these types of cases, it is not even one word against another party’s, it is one party’s word against physical evidence, which can stem from a variety of factors. A broken hip could be a result of an improper, negligent transfer from a wheelchair to a bed, or it could simply stem from the resident getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and losing their balance.

Gathering Evidence With Cameras

When it comes to proving that abuse and neglect are, in fact, causing their loved one harm, some family members take matters into their own hands. Hidden cameras, just like “nanny cams,” can be installed or placed within the resident’s room without the facility’s or staff members’ knowledge. Unfortunately, what these cameras sometimes show is horrifying. One camera showed a Hollywood, Florida certified nursing assistant forcing a 94-year-old out of bed, hitting him, and pouring mouthwash all over him, as reported by Local 10 News. This type of evidence makes it virtually impossible to deny that abuse occurred.

A Tampa Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Can Help You Today

While a well-placed camera, or series of cameras, can uncover the horrible truth, they might not be the only solution. A camera could miss the abuse or neglect entirely if it occurs outside the room, if the battery dies, or if the abuse cannot easily be captured on camera (such as verbal or financial abuse). Before you place a camera in your loved one’s room, call our Tampa nursing home abuse attorneys at Kohn Law today at 813-428-8504 to schedule a free consultation.

Resources:

local10.com/news/2017/11/14/hidden-cameras-show-apparent-abuse-inside-south-florida-nursing-homes/

tcpalm.com/story/opinion/editorials/2019/06/14/nursing-home-care-declines-florida-thumb-down/1442839001/

https://www.kohnlawcares.com/bed-sores-improper-nutrition-and-bathing/