Claims of nursing home neglect highlight new 'camera in rooms' law in Ohio - WLWT Cincinnati
AMELIA, Ohio —
"He played Santa Claus for many years for kids," Tommy Holcomb said. "I knew him as dad and Santa dad."
Holcomb's happy memories of his late father, a Vietnam veteran, are tainted by what he considers inadequate care at Sunrise Manor nursing home in Amelia and a separate facility in Hamilton County.
"You know, a lot of times the loved ones can't call you or, you know, can't tell you what's going on," Holcomb said.
Holcomb's negative nursing home experience came rushing back after he saw Christina Drake, assistant nursing director for Sunrise Manor, being taken into custody by Clermont County sheriff's deputies Wednesday.
Drake, and the facility's nursing director, Jennie Elliott, are accused of doing "nothing to treat" a woman living at Sunrise Manor two years ago, despite being made aware of new bruises or injuries.
A few days later, doctors at a local hospital said the woman had a fractured vertebra and bleeding in her head.
"What's the word, neglect?" Holcomb said.
That's the crime Drake and Elliott were officially charged with last week.
While upsetting to Holcomb, he's happy that Ohio families can now use what's known as Esther's Law to put cameras in a resident's room.
"If your loved one is in a home, I would definitely advise you to find out how to do it. Webcams are not that hard to set up. They usually have a website you go to and, you know, that way you can keep an eye on them," he said. "It's going to help a lot of families keep an eye on their loved ones. ... Because once you leave that home, you don't know what's going on."
Holcomb added, "A lot of them can't talk to us and tell us."
Installing and maintaining a camera in a long-term care facility in Ohio is the responsibility of a resident or caregiver. If a roommate is involved, that person has to give permission for a camera to be in a shared space, or the facility has to try to make an accommodation.
source: https://www.wlwt.com/article/esther-s-law-ohio-nursing-home-sunrise-manor-clermont-county/39789012
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