in the public areas of a care home i cannt see a problem, its more the private areas, i.e. bathrooms, residents bedrooms etc that i would and am sure the residents and family members would have an invasion issue. am sure that most abuse would and does take part in the more private areas so i dont think that having cameras will deter abusers from carrying on
Well I did say that there needed to be privacy in bathroom areas etc, but from the reports it seems that the abuse is more likely to occur in recreational areas not just private areas.
Add a proviso that the residents can choose not to have cameras in their private rooms or ask for them in any specified area they choose ? let the residents decide, those that feel vulnerable or in need of such things can make the choice themselves
That is true, but someone made a decision for them for them to be where they are so that someone is also responsible for the camera decision too.
Bars, Nightclubs, Asda, PC world, town centres don't stop all the problems with cameras but they are a deterrent and they are part of our normal lives for everyone, if they help keep the vulnerable a little safer then it is not a bad thing, most of us do not have a choice in when and where we are watched.
My main thoughts are that the carers should not have grounds for banning their use unless they can come up with a good reason that Asda Staff, bar staff, people in the High Street, don't have. So far they have not come up with such a reason.
Do carers live in care homes ? My post is about carers objecting to cameras where they work, to my knowledge none of the residents or their families have spoken out against the idea.
They work in care homes the same as the staff I mentioned work where they are employed, the post is about abuse by care workers not abuse by residents (though that probably does happen too)
Oh I get it, your coming from the standpoint of the carers.
OK, well from the carers perspective I would imagine that the vast majority have their residents at heart and are fighting on their behalf. Why would they want their residents lives to be filmed 24/7? All those intimate moments to be seen on screen and more importantly recorded to be sown again at will?
After all, would you like your life to be broadcast on CCTV at all times?
I think that takes it to the extreme.
I shop in Asda, when I walk round the aisles every movement is being seen on CCTV when I walk through the town centre, when I go in a bar, when I drive to town, none of it seems to have done me any harm.
The suggestion was to have cameras in recreational and social areas and I suggested that some residents might want them in their rooms by their own choice.
Personally I have no support for their use or their exemption but playing devils advocate when carers say it is an invasion of THIER privacy at work I thought I would get other peoples opinion and point out that they would not be alone being recorded on the job (no pun intended)
I have never heard a carer stand up and say Asda staff (for example) should not have to work under camera scrutiny.
Nor has anyone suggested that the footage should be viewed by all and sundry, these days cameras can record for months on end, the data stored and there would be no need to view it unless an incident was reported, legislation could be used to ensure only those with a "need to know" where granted access to data, more protection than can be said for asda staff.
There are other establishments where such recorded data may be helpful in preventing abuse.
I am sure the vast majority of care workers are dedicated individuals who strive to give the people in their charge the best possible care within the limitations of time and budget. I am equally sure that some go beyond what is called of them and they are more than willing to do this as they see it as a vocation rather than just another job.
Unfortunately (as in virtually all other walks of life) there is a small number of people who abuse their position, whether it be the care home owners or managers who just think of it as an accounting exercise and the product (vulnerable people) is there to maximise profit or to keep costs down or the staff who are either lazy, sadistic, selfish or a mixture of all 3 it is a small minority. It is beyond my comprehension that (all be it a small number) people can be so disrespectful.
I don’t see that CCTV is the answer though, it doesn’t seem right to me that people should have their private life invaded like that. I know that it is said that it would be in the communal areas but even in communal areas, it is their home.
I don’t like disagreeing with someone if I don’t have an alternative suggestion but on this one I don’t. I just think that the dignity of people will be compromised in an effort to stop them being abused. It’s not just the elderly either! Mentally and physically handicapped, orphans, the list goes on.
I'm sorry but I fail to see how you can compare a care home and Asda.
If you choose to shop in Asda then you have exercised your free will and rights. You are made aware by signage that you will be filmed during your visit and you accept that as part of everyday life in a commercial outlet.
Using camera's in care homes is a flagrant disregard for the privacy and rights of the people for whom the building is their home. There can be no comparison betwixt a persons house and a public commercial outlet.
