OKLAHOMA CITY
– Under legislation approved unanimously by the Oklahoma House of
Representatives, families of nursing home residents will be able to monitor the
care of their loved ones.
Senate Bill
587, by state Sen. Ron Justice and state Rep. Harold Wright, would require nursing homes to allow
cameras to be placed in the rooms of
residents without penalty or retribution. The
consent of the resident or a family member would be required for the placement
of the camera to ensure the protection of resident privacy
rights.
“Even
with safety measures in place, nursing home residents are vulnerable to abuse
because they are not always able to defend themselves nor speak out when abuse
occurs,” said Rep. Wright, R-Weatherford. “The unanimous approval of this bill
is a sign of the hard work of AARP-Oklahoma, the Silver-Haired Legislature and
countless aging advocates.”
AARP-Oklahoma is a supporter of
the legislation.
“Today,
we applaud the Oklahoma House of Representatives for overwhelmingly voting for
this legislation,” said AARP-Oklahoma State President Marjorie Lyons. “This
measure is an important step toward protecting Oklahoma’s most frail and
vulnerable citizens – nursing home residents – by allowing them to use video
cameras for increased safety. We greatly appreciate Rep. Wright for his
steadfast advocacy on behalf of this crucial measure and we urge the state
Senate to adopt the House amendment to Senate Bill 587 and send this measure to
Governor
Fallin.”
Senate
Bill 587 will return to the Oklahoma Senate, where they can choose whether or
not to accept House amendments. If amendments are accepted, it will proceed to
the governor’s desk.
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