Suspect poor nursing care in Virginia? Hidden cameras are not the answer.

If you suspect that a loved one is being mistreated or poorly cared for in a Virginia nursing home, it may be tempting to sneak in a hidden camera to monitor the care your loved one is receiving.  However, as a tragic case in the UK shows, this does not prevent abuse or neglect from seriously harming a patient.

In this case, a man who was paralyzed from the neck down was concerned about the quality of care he was receiving – so he had a camera installed in his room.  Unfortunately, the presence of a hidden camera did nothing to prevent a tragic event from occurring.

A nurse was recorded turning off the man’s life-support system by accident, leaving him without breathing assistance for just over 20 minutes.  The nurse did realize her mistake and tried to revive the man, but the damage was done.

Because he was left without life support, he sustained brain damage.  He went from having full control of his mental function to having the mental age of a child because of the incident.  He is not expected to recover.

Families of Virginia nursing home residents can learn from this case.  If you suspect that your loved one is receiving substandard care, the time to act is BEFORE a tragic incident occurs.  It is far better to prevent further damage to your loved one than it is to watch abuse or neglect happen on tape.

Check out our article “How to File a Nursing Home Abuse Complaint in Virginia” to learn how to report suspected cases of Virginia nursing home abuse, and please call our office right away to talk about your situation confidentially, for no cost.