Camera to monitor carers?

[PersuadingAnneElliot]

We're thinking of installing some kind of camera in my elderly mum's home.

She has carers going in 4 times a day as well as other health officials on an ad hoc basis.

The carers who go in are a real mix... some are fantastic, others do the bare minimum.

There have been a few times when she's told us about a conversation where they've not been very kind to her. She is fully aware and able to recall things and I did raise it with the agency but she sends so vulnerable.

I'm not sure if having a camera in eg her living room would make any difference... has anyone else been in a similar situation and done this?

I'll do some proper research but from a quick check it looks like we'd need to declare to anyone going in so they are aware of it being there.

Thanks x

This article is helpful, OP.
www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/report-concern/using-cameras-or-other-recording-equipment-check-somebodys-care

As you would have to tell the carers in advance, I assume that they could just refuse to care for your mum if they wanted to.

Having cameras out in the open is a good deterrent in itself. People tend to behave if they know they might be observed.

Having cameras is just a good idea in general for elderly people with care requirements who live alone. Lots of my friends use these for their parents, some have early dementia and they are needed for safety really. I'm sure carers will be used to this.
I pet sit and lots of people have cameras on for their pets I have no issue with this as I have nothing to hide.

In your situation I absolutely would. I don't think carers could refuse the job, plenty people have cameras on them at work, it's not unusual.

My in-laws had cameras. Even before carers started. Life saver.
We saw carer problems and a theft by a good delivery driver that caused him to lose his job and get prosecuted. As long as it's not in intimate areas that's fine.

As a former domicilliary care manager I used to find it quite helpful to have cameras in the house. Not all carers are great despite any amount of checks and training. The industry is not geared towards always getting the staff that people deserve to have caring for them. Sad fact but true. Camera evidence helped me hugely with investigating allegations when they were made.

However please don’t be the relative that sits and Monitors the camera 24/7 and is on the phone to the office when the carer is 2 minutes late or does things in a different order to how you might have. Carers are humans beings and can’t always be perfect. For every relative who has every right to complain or raise concerns there is one that is being pedantic for the sake of it / because they feel guilty they aren’t doing the care themselves/ because they think carers are beneath them and they can. The latter type don’t actually help their relative at all.

We installed cameras at my mum's house. Most of the carers were lovely and it was really reassuring, but there were a couple of occasions where a substitute carer went in and was completely clueless about dementia, or a carer failed to turn up which left mum at risk.

We were able to call the agency immediately and get that sorted - not always ideally but at least she was safe.

Mum also had a fall alarm which she triggered accidentally quite often, and we could see what she was up to and speak to the alarm company rather than having an emergency visit.

Ultimately she had a bad fall and we were able to call out emergency services quickly as it was seen on camera. She is now in a care home.

The cameras were very visible, the agency were told and there was no problem at all with the carers who visited.

Just saw @piscofrisco post. My sister did become slightly obsessed with checking cameras! But we only ever called if it was an hour or so after the scheduled time, and on one occasion when the new carer left my mum downstairs at nighttime because she did not follow the care protocol. We had a very good relationship with the agency and the regular carers.

Of course. An hour late, regularly and not caused by catastrophic traffic is poor care. Carers consistently failing to follow care plans is poor care. Both things reasonable cause to complain. The issue is when people are not understanding of one off circumstances, or get het up by the biscuits being given before the tea etc etc and then call the office every time and shout at the people at the end of the phone. My customer service team (who answered the phone) were regularly reduced to tears by relatives calling in, telling them how shit they are, telling them they are incompetent and worthless. Failing to realise that we were looking after 600 people over two counties. That that morning when we were already short staffed, two people called in sick, one persons car broke down, one person had to call and wait with a client for an ambulance (8 hours wait), there was a huge accident in the main a road so that should be ten mins between calls were 20 and that’s adds up over a round of 10 calls, so all the rounds had to be reorganised, all the clients on those rounds called, all the clients given time to vent because their morning call would be later than usual, and it’s not even 9am yet.
People often speak to care staff and office teams like we are sick and it’s our fault that we can’t recruit to minimum wage terrible condition jobs, that we can’t control traffic, sickness, weather, the fact that someone else’s mum in the call before has had a fall. It’s an absolutely awful job at times.

Thanks everyone for all your posts, I've got lots of research to do before we decide but it's really useful to hear others' opinions and experiences.

Are there any other family members visiting your mother and being recorded? If so, consider informing them and letting them know how to turn the cameras off and on again if they want to.

A family member of mine has installed several cameras to monitor an elderly relative who has a carer and a frail spouse living in the house. They are both fine with it.

But when the rest of us realised that all our visits and conversations (including our WhatsApp video and phone calls to the elderlies when we were in our own homes) were being watched and listened to, we felt very uncomfortable. This was evident when the person who installed the recording/filming devices made comments about a (completely innocuous) conversation/event literally a minute or two after it had occurred.

It felt very intrusive even though the intentions were probably good. There is no need to monitor a carer or elderlies when other family members are in the house. We now turn off all the devices when we arrive and back on again when we leave. Unfortunately we can't do anything about our phone and video calls and have to accept that the person with the video/audio feed is basically tapping/taping the conversation.

@SweeneysDoing90 thanks for raising this, I'd also have felt very uncomfortable, but no it's just myself and my sister/brother in law and then mostly carers, health professionals etc.

We'd need to let the agency know and then I think notices up and telling anyone who has to go in on an ad hoc basis.

I hadn't thought of the carers refusing care though, I've guess I'd thought we couldn't be the only ones thinking of having cameras in place for vulnerable relatives so it'd be something they would have experience of, but maybe not.

I was a carer a couple of years ago and about 20% of homes had a camera. Nobody cared. The only time it was a problem was when one carers who was doing a whole day of caring, turned the camera off. I mean why would you do that?

Not sure what happened to the career as I only know as their son politely asked me not to switch it off as the last carer had done.

If I had parents I’d definitely have cameras, mostly to be able to check they were ok when no carer was there. Well a parent with dementia anyway.

It also cover the carer’s back if they get accused of stealing, I remember my MIL when she was in respite, accusing a nurse of going into her makeup bag and stealing her scabby lipstick! As if!

I would definitely have a camera to monitor what happens when carers are required. I have a friend who needed to get a carer in for her mum while she went on holiday. The carer had been physically abusive and my friend’s mum had many bruises.
Also my frail aunt aged 91 took ill and after a short spell in hospital went into a
convalescent home to recover fully. I was visiting her and left her room while a carer got her changed. I was outside the door when the carer shouted at my aunt to chastise her for some reason. It was shocking and I feel that a camera could protect vulnerable people from nasty carers.

Someone on another thread stated that the care industry is booming. No one really wants to do the role so you have people often with different cultural views caring. One carer was dismissed when my Father was in a care home. Dad himself complained and the complaint was upheld. I only found out after he passed. He told the care home that he didnt want to bother us and to be fair he sorted it out himself.

Mum was in hospital when two nurses were changing her. They were speaking in another language and Mum asked gently what they were doing. They completely ignored her and one handled her roughly. They didnt know I had just come in. They had pulled round the curtains and I didnt make any noise suddenly appearing.

They knew I knew I wasnt impressed with what I had just seen and scuttled away. I did have a word with the Ward Sister but she just said they were busy and trying to get things done maybe a bit too quickly and she would keep an eye on things.

Cameras are absolutely essential in this situation. We had EZViz cameras in Dad’s house so we could keep an eye on things. Total game-changer. Very easy to use. Good carers are used to it and don’t mind at all. In fact, we installed them originally after one of the carers suggested it. She was surprised we didn’t have them already.

Hopefully it just hasn’t been mentioned and you’ve already done it but of course please speak to your mum to check she is ok being recorded all the time and to confirm what she is comfortable with (I assume she wouldn’t want to be recorded during personal care etc).

i don’t think I would want to be recorded in my own home all of the time.