Nursing Home Abuse Incident Involved Workers Taking Inappropriate Pictures of Residents
A nursing home has been cited because its workers took pictures and made audio recordings of residents that were inappropriate using their cell phones. The pictures and recordings were done without the residents’ knowledge or consent. Staffers then included sexual lyrics from songs with the photographs before sending them to other staffers.
Pimlico Parkway received a Type A citation, which is the most serious citation that a nursing home in Kentucky can be given. The state says that seven residents were abused as a result of the picture taking and audio recording.
The citation said that there is nothing to indicate that the facility had trained staffers so that they would know that such conduct is a form of nursing home abuse. It also noted that the nursing home failed to enforce its policy banning staff members from using cell phones in resident care areas.
Nursing home aides, licensed staff members, facility staff, and housekeepers who were interviewed said that they did not consider taking photos of recording residents to be abusive behavior, which is why they never reported the incidents.
The nursing home administrator, Jo Ann Lovell, says that a number of nursing home workers have been fired. Lovell says that nursing home workers have been reeducated about the facility’s cell-phone ban policy.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services imposed a civil fine of facility of $6,550 a day because residents were considered to have been in imminent jeopardy.
Per Medicare.gov, US nursing homes residents’ rights include:
• Privacy—as long as it doesn’t interfere with other people’s rights, safety or health.
• Be treated with respect.
• Be notified about all services and associated fees.
• Manage their own money.
• Be informed and make decisions about your medical care.
Nursing home staff took inappropriate photos of residents, Kentucky.com, April 29, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Read the citation (PDF)
Resident Rights, Medicare
In Illinois, Chicago nursing home abuse attorney Steve Malman is committed to protecting nursing home resident from being abused and making sure they are compensated for any incidents involving nursing home abuse or neglect.
