A bill drafted by the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and filed by Representative Gregory Harris (Democrat of Chicago) seeks to allow the installation of monitoring cameras in nursing home rooms within the state, should the patient or patient’s family consent, the Chicago Tribune reported on February 13.
In an interview, Madigan said that although the bill is currently being proposed to protect the welfare of Illinois residents’ grandparents and elderly relatives, it can also be a tool to ensure that the very same residents who are young now can have their welfare and rights protected once it’s their turn to age.
Madigan first announced the bill last fall. Senior citizen advocates are concerned about issues, such as asking the elderly for their consent regarding this matter and privacy concerns.
Health Care Council of Illinois executive director Pat Comstock said that even though quality and safety are among the top priority of officials in Illinois, privacy of the patients is still important and so “potential web-streamed images must be adequately safeguarded to remain private.”
The measure also provides leeway for nursing home residents who don’t want a monitoring camera to be installed in their rooms; for instance, if a nursing home resident who is not in favor of the bill shares a room with one who does, the nursing home will have to move the resident who wants the camera into another room, preferably to be roommates with a person who wants the same arrangement.
Our attorneys at Spiros Law, P.C., in Kankakee or other areas in Illinois handle legal matters such as nursing home abuse, personal injury, and medical malpractice, among others. Call our offices today at (815) 929-9292 to speak with a member of our legal team.
