The new year brings new laws to Ohio but one directly affects tens of thousands of people living in assisted living facilities.Esther's Law, signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine permits cameras and other electronic monitoring devices to be installed by residents or their families or guardians inside a resident's room.The law is named after Esther Piskor. Her family says they placed a known camera inside her Cleveland nursing home room and repeatedly caught Piskor being abused by staff members.The law officially goes into effect on March 23, 2022, but organizations are already preparing implementation plans and residents and their loved ones are encouraged to install devices before that date if and where possible.The law requires permission to be given by the resident or family member or guardian and any possible roommates. The resident and their respective families or guardians are responsible for supplying, installing and upkeep of the monitoring device.RELATED: New laws, ordinances, changes coming to Ohio in 2022Twin Lakes Senior Living Community in Montgomery reports close to 430 residents with 190 staff members. Currently, Twin Lakes reports one resident with a camera in their room. Twin Lakes says cameras installed with consent will also be accompanied by a sign alerting people of a recording in process.Twin Lakes Executive Direction Lisa Zimmer says she is supportive of Esther's Law and encourages people to take multiple steps to ensure patients' safety beyond cameras in the room."I think it's a good thing," Zimmer said. "Because it's really important for people to have peace of mind. And for them to have the ability to take action if they have a concern. And some communities may have not been interested in doing this for fear of litigation or for fear of violating the residents' privacy, or not understanding who would be required to do the upkeep. There's a lot of reasons that communities may have not already wanted to do this. And I think it's just it's going to really help even the playing field."Beyond installing devices if deemed necessary, Zimmer also recommends people set up consistent meetings with their loved one's health care teams to check in on progress, treatment and address any concerns.Esther's Law states only the residents, the resident's guardian or power of attorney and law enforcement may review any video, still images or sound. Zimmer also said her staff may review footage only if given permission by the resident. Zimmer said if someone is interested in buying a camera to be aware of storage capacity in order to prevent the footage from deleting itself after a certain number of days.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE LAW.
The new year brings new laws to Ohio but one directly affects tens of thousands of people living in assisted living facilities.
Esther's Law, signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine permits cameras and other electronic monitoring devices to be installed by residents or their families or guardians inside a resident's room.
The law is named after Esther Piskor. Her family says they placed a known camera inside her Cleveland nursing home room and repeatedly caught Piskor being abused by staff members.
The law officially goes into effect on March 23, 2022, but organizations are already preparing implementation plans and residents and their loved ones are encouraged to install devices before that date if and where possible.
The law requires permission to be given by the resident or family member or guardian and any possible roommates. The resident and their respective families or guardians are responsible for supplying, installing and upkeep of the monitoring device.
RELATED: New laws, ordinances, changes coming to Ohio in 2022
Twin Lakes Senior Living Community in Montgomery reports close to 430 residents with 190 staff members. Currently, Twin Lakes reports one resident with a camera in their room. Twin Lakes says cameras installed with consent will also be accompanied by a sign alerting people of a recording in process.
Twin Lakes Executive Direction Lisa Zimmer says she is supportive of Esther's Law and encourages people to take multiple steps to ensure patients' safety beyond cameras in the room.
"I think it's a good thing," Zimmer said. "Because it's really important for people to have peace of mind. And for them to have the ability to take action if they have a concern. And some communities may have not been interested in doing this for fear of litigation or for fear of violating the residents' privacy, or not understanding who would be required to do the upkeep. There's a lot of reasons that communities may have not already wanted to do this. And I think it's just it's going to really help even the playing field."
Beyond installing devices if deemed necessary, Zimmer also recommends people set up consistent meetings with their loved one's health care teams to check in on progress, treatment and address any concerns.
Esther's Law states only the residents, the resident's guardian or power of attorney and law enforcement may review any video, still images or sound.
Zimmer also said her staff may review footage only if given permission by the resident. Zimmer said if someone is interested in buying a camera to be aware of storage capacity in order to prevent the footage from deleting itself after a certain number of days.
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