How do you handle the major turnover and under staffing/poor quality care of your loved one during COVID when you're not permitted inside?

A little late but thought I would respond ... little caveat I am still trying to figure out how to reply to posts so I may have already posted a response.

I placed a camera in full sight in my LO's room after announcing it to the NH because I suspected sexual abuse which turned out to be true. I was shocked to see the horrifying things that occurred with my LO's care after and before my visits. And the number of unreported falls. In my state they are not illegal. I was told that I have the right to protect the health and safety of my loved one. S/he did have to sign a consent form which was fine, and we had a private room for our loved one so there were no HIPAA violations. NHs can certainly choose to evict but who cares if you suspect abuse or neglect.

I trust the whispers from God. If you feel n your spirit that something is not quite right, then trust that uncomfortable feeling. It may save your loved one's life.

I wish that I had an answer about how to handle the major turnover, under staffing, poor quality of care, and how to get permission to get inside to care for our LOs during this crises (see my comments below to sjplegacy).

I have called state and national legislators, news stations, written blogs, but my audience reach is too low. And my LO has tested positive for Covid so the level of fear, angst, worry, is off the charts. Early on I wrote our Governor requesting the National Guard be brought in to help with the staffing shortages which was done, but now even they are stretched thin. I've tried ringing the alarm bell that nursing homes are dangerous understaffed during the worse pandemic of our lifetime, and mostly I get a head nod, statements like"we know" that nursing homes are under siege, and "we are doing the best we can with the resources we have". That doesn't help when it is your loved one who is at risk of dying, when you know there is not enough staff on-site to properly care for those who are sick, when you can see and hear the exhaustion in the voices of the nursing staff and their sadness knowing they can't save everyone after a major Covid outbreak. It's like standing outside of your house, watching a fire burning it down, knowing your loved ones are trapped inside, and you can't get in to help them. Praying that NHs/ALs, you/I get the help we need and that the loss of lives due to this horrible virus stops.

Wow!! There's so much distrust and fear of mistreatment of your LOs during COVID. Did you visit these care facilities before you placed your LO or did you just choose the most convenient place? Before COVID were you satisfied with the care they were receiving? If not, why didn't you move them then? Why would you expect less care because of COVID restrictions? Not merely less care but abusive care? When I visited several facilities (with my wife) I especially observed how the staff related to the residents. I eliminated one place simply because I saw a staff person pulling a resident in a wheel chair backwards. If you suspect abuse notify the facility and at worst APS, but you better have some strong evidence. Hunches don't count. Neither does hearsay from ex-employees.

When caring for your LO at home would you stand for your sibling, for instance, placing a camera in your home so he can watch your every move and make sure your caring for your LO to his expectations? What would his expectations be? What are your expectations of the facility? So if you want to smuggle a camera in it's your choice. Don't be upset that when the camera is discovered your LO is evicted. COVID is not an excuse for you to believe the facility is abusing your LO.

My mom passed away on October 7th 2020. The facilities she was in did not allow cameras in her room. I decided to buy a small one for her room hoping my sister would install it anonymous but my mom died before we could of done this. I personally feel that any care home refusing to allow a camera to monitor your mom in the caring home is unacceptable. This definitely tells me their caring of the elderly is wrong. They do not want you to know how your mom is doing and how they handle it. It’s inhumanely! We are her loved ones and should have the right to know what’s going on in the care homes, whether nursing or assistant living. I’m writing a letter to P Trump and insist these legal rights are changed. God Bless you all❣️🙏🏼🇺🇸

You call the ombudsman's office for your area and tell them about your concerns. There's neglect even when covid wasn't an issue, so you can bet it's a problem now.

What I was told about nanny cam's was this: If the room is shared with someone else you can get in trouble because of privacy if you film. If it's a private room, you can hide a camera, but if facility finds it they may have the right to remove it - read the contract.

Imho, you would have to follow the protocols put in place by your jurisdiction. Prayers sent.

This is a trying time for everyone. We are fortunate to have Mom at home, with 3 wonderful, caring, trusted aides. She does not have Alzheimers.
Would you be able to care for your LO, at home with assistance? This might be an option.
A teddy bear camera might be allowed. Unfortunately, short staffing may not be something that can be remedied at this time.
Can you video chat?
Praying for you and your loved one.

With COVID-19, it will depend on the regulations per the state/county about who is allowed to visit or help in LTC. Most facilities will not allow nanny cams since you will also be video recording people receiving hygiene with unclothed bodies on video - so many legal issues here that scream porn, not having consent, etc.

If you are truly concerned about neglect of your loved one, you may be better off taking him/her home and contracting home health care aides round the clock. Check with the LTC facility about their regulations as well as insurance before making such a drastic change in your LO's life.

It does not have to be a hidden camera. EVERYONE who is financially able should have a camera in their loved one's room.

This needs to be reported to Elder Care/Abuse Office within the city. Regarding a Cam or Recorder... I would place anything in the room necessary to monitor care and ensure my LO safe.

Report whatever it is to the state.

I know you're drained on so many levels- emotionally, financially and physically. I. too, had to place my spouse in an MC facility where she died almost 3 yrs ago. So please take my comments not as criticism but in the empathetic way I offer them.

You can't do anything about the turnover of staff. That's a result of reasons I've previously mentioned. You can't do anything about COVID or the facilities policy on trying to keep its residents safe. You've got to come to terms with that. You can do something about your mistrust of his care. What are your expectations of his care? He's no longer at home where he rec'd one on one care. If you can't get in, why do you suspect poor care? The "inside" information you rec'd from the ousted aides I would take with a grain of salt. And once you can enter the facility you can certainly discuss his care but you won't physically be caring for him. You're role is now being his advocate in communicating your care wishes to the staff.

“Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.”

You probably can't install a nanny cam, but you can certainly get one of those teddy bears with a camera inside the eye and place it in the room. "Wire tapping" only applies when neither party knows they're being taped. If it came to it, you could argue that your loved one consented to being recorded. I know all this because I was in your exact position 6 years ago and I consulted a lawyer. Confirm everything I said with your own lawyer, but I don't think statutes change that often. I ferl your pain, truly, and I wish you the very best. Don't listen to anyone on here who has not "been there." You'll be able to tell by the answer they give. Prayers.

Talk to administration for permission to visit--but lockdown means that--NO VISITORS, and, depending on the STATE you live in, you cannot just put nanny cam inside without the facility's permission as it is private property.

Now consider Federal laws: Nanny cams can get you in very serious trouble due to violation of HIPAA laws, and wire tapping laws as voice in included in nanny cams. You may live in a state that permits it but be aware of Federal laws.

In short, you need to consult an eldercare attorney about the local, State and Federal laws regarding recording. Yes it is that complicated.

If you want to oversee your loved one's care then take them out and take care of them yourself. You may install cameras in your OWN home. but if you bring hired caregivers in there you need to tell them they are on camera and have them sign WRITTEN consent due to wire-tapping laws. Crazy...isn't it?

If you chose the very best placement you could find when your DH entered residential care, you must know that Ohio is in an indescribably dire condition now because of the resurgence of Covid.

If you were relatively content with the care your husband received when he entered the facility, you can hopefully understand that EVERYTHING and EVERYONE has suffered because of the difficulties at all levels of management, right down to hands on care.

Did you have reason to think that there were “inside details” that impacted directly on your DH’s care? Do you have a way of substantiating deficiencies in care such as what you’ve mentioned? Are you aware of the personal dangers to caregivers, families AND residents in circumstances such as we have at present?

If you were to plant a camera, how would you enter the facility to do it? What would you do with a video that showed “neglect”?

I understand your anxiety, fear, and concern only too well, having lived with my own emotional roller coaster since the end of March, I’ve come to realize that against the virus AND the lack of nation wide awareness concerning “the best way forward”, both residents AND caregivers are at risk almost equally, and I pray for all who have suffered from, or because of, this horrid experience.

I hope with all my heart that you can find some way to bring yourself peace. I trust those in care, even when they’re not the best of the best. Their sacrifice to be there to care for my LO tells me a lot about all of them.

Don't know if it's legal or not, but we plan to do this soon. Mom has Alzheimer's and it's easy to put a tiny device inside a stuffed bear. Tell the facility where to put the bear so "Mom can enjoy it." Do what you have to do.

Not only has AD become a 21st century epidemic, paid caregiving in care facilites has also. The huge turnover results in employees poor pay, poor benefits, lack of supervision, inadequate training, lack of retention incentives and the nature of the work itself. Unless you can be deemed an essential caregiver, which we all know every family should be granted, there's not much that can be done. There's little or no criteria for a caregiver's or supervisor's qualifications to work in a care facility. Many states are beginning to address these shortcomings and creating laws to establish training and work criteria. MN is a leader in this regard. There is also federal legislation proposed by the Alz Assn and others to improve facility caring. Until then, yourself and a million other families can only “grin and bear it”.

As for the camera, it wouldn't be allowed and I wouldn't try to sneak one in.

https://medicareadvocacy.org/nursing-home-deregulation-continues-despite-substantial-risk-to-residents/

Above is a link to an organization by our current administartion that is fighting the rollback of regulations on Nursing Homes nationally after many were instituted in the Obama years. It was a cornerstone of the current administration to roll backregulations in general,, and many have been. Some states have their own rules, but ALF are not really regulated at all. States have their own rules and regulations, but that I know of no states have regulations on staffing other than CA and that for hospitals only; I still remember when we got them under Rep. Gov Schwartzenegger, may he be bless for it! I still remember the difference it made in the safe care I was able to give.
I think that you are correct, that given you cannot be there, there is much you cannot see or know. Other than taking your Mom into your own care you can never be certain, and the anecdotal reports of Seniors can be wrong.
Any adversarial relationship you get going with a facility can also boomerang. I doubt that legally you can mount nanny cams inside anyone else's property to watch them. So that I know of you are kind of stuck.
What evidence of problems are you seeing and hearing currently at your Mom's facility?

Minnesota passed legislation allowing Essential Caregivers into the facilities. The facilities still call a lot of the shots, like who is an EC, how many allowed for each resident, how many hours a week they can visit, etc. Now covid is back inside the NHs here, so time will tell what they will do. You and other caregivers and LOs need to hound your legislators to pass a similar law in your state. There is no other way around it.

I do not think you can install cameras without informing people, but that may vary from state to state so you need to check the laws where you reside.

What makes you think the aids were "pushed out"? Do you mean they quit? How is that the facility's fault? There is a labor shortage in this country. There is not enough skilled people to work in NHs. Now facilities need to try to keep staffing levels up while staff are being exposed to covid and must quarantine. It's a conundrum.

I read your profile. My question is why are you spending all your resources. Medicaid allows for a Community Spouse. Basically, you keep the home and a car. Your assets are looked at and split. His part gets spent down and then you applies for Medicaid. Not sure how SS and pensions will be split, but you will not be made impoverished. A lawyer versed in Medicaid can tell you more depending on the state you live in. Does his facility allow Medicaid?

How do you know if you can't get in how your DH is being cared for? You may want to call your State Ombudsman and see if they can investigate. And no, a facility probably will not allow a nanny cam. Its a privacy issue for other residents and the staff.