More and more families are expressing frustration and concern regarding their inability to see and know how their loved ones are doing since the ban on visitation was issued due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Families’ fears have also increased as their knowledge has grown regarding the devastating impact of COVID-19 on nursing home residents and because communication from their nursing home has not been forthcoming.
The associate state director for AARP in Connecticut had this to say about cameras and the visitation ban— “… it was really, really upsetting to people. And, I think understandably. Some facilities are not great about sharing information about what’s going on. For me, this is not about a gotcha game with nursing home staff. I think especially now, people are doing their best. They’re showing up. They’re doing a good job, but for me, cameras are really about peace of mind for family members.”
Recently, the Missouri legislation passed a law that the governor is reviewing allowing families to request cameras be placed in their family member’s room. In other states like Ohio and Connecticut, there is renewed interest in passing similar bills allowing cameras.
Privacy is a serious concern expressed by both the Connecticut Department of Public Health commissioner and the nursing home healthcare sector in general.
“Hidden cameras should only be allowed as part of a criminal investigation” was how the president of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities expressed his concerns when he testified before the state’s lawmakers. He also said, “The public disclosure of the very private material concerning nursing home residents can be devastating, especially given the impossibility of a foolproof assurance that the data or streaming material cannot be compromised.”
Compliance Perspective
Failure by nursing homes to follow the reporting guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or to notify residents, families, and responsible parties when residents and staff are found to have or be suspected of having COVID-19 may be considered a breach of residents’ rights and violation of federal and state regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures that address the issue of allowing cameras in residents’ rooms. Also review required guidelines for reporting to the CDC and informing residents, families, and responsible parties regarding the facility’s COVID-19 status.
- Train staff on protecting the privacy of residents should a camera be installed in a resident’s room. Also provide training about CMS requirements for communicating and reporting confirmed and/or suspected COVID-19 infections.
- Periodically audit to ensure that the facility is reporting required COVID-19 information to the CDC and communicating updates regularly with residents, families, and responsible parties about how the facility is handling the pandemic, using e-mail, regular mail, or other accepted means of communication, and that resident confidentiality is maintained.
