When placing a loved one in a nursing home, individuals in Connecticut and elsewhere often focus on the health and wellbeing of their loved ones. This is paramount when ensuring an elderly loved one is happy, safe and cared for; however, this means more than the nursing home providing a safe environment for them to live in. It also means protecting their rights and providing them with all the necessities required to meet their needs and rights. Thankfully, Connecticut has recently enacted statutes allowing the use of video monitoring in nursing homes.
Rights for long-term care residents
While residents in a long-term care facility are afforded the same rights as any other individual, there are certain laws and regulations put in place to help better protect this vulnerable population. As such, specific laws are passed to ensure certain measures are taken and specific rights are established and protected for residents of a nursing home facility. The goal is to ensure their needs are met, they are well cared for, and residents do not experience neglect or abuse.
Virtual visitations and monitoring
Such actions were taken in June of 2021 in Connecticut when the Governor signed into law Public Act No. 21-55, an Act that helps strengthen the Bills of Rights for Long-Term care residents. This Act authorized the use of resident technology for the purpose of virtual visitations and video monitoring. While other states have enacted similar laws concerning virtual visitations, the state of Connecticut passed a law that addresses the rights and obligations surrounding the use of technology by residents for communication and virtual visitation as well as a means to monitor loved ones.
Ensuring and protecting one’s rights when it comes to communication, visitations and video monitoring at a long-term care facility, such as a nursing home, is important. The emotional wellbeing of residents is imperative, and the lack of visits or communication with loved ones could greatly impact one’s emotional wellbeing. Thus, it is important that loved ones are able to maintain a way to keep in contact with loved ones at a nursing home and use technology as a means to monitor them to ensure nursing home abuse or neglect is not occurring.
Nursing home neglect and abuse can sometimes be difficult to spot. In some cases, it could go unnoticed for an extended period. Because of this, it is important that loved ones continually check in on a loved one’s status and conditions as well as keeping up to date on current laws and regulations. Those that believe that a loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect or abuse should take the time to understand one’s rights and options to take action. Please do not hesitate to contact an attorney at our office immediately should you feel that a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of staff while at a nursing home.