A recent article by Wes Venteicher in the Chicago Tribune caught my eye. The story is about some legislation in Illinois, which, if enacted, would allow cameras or audio recording devices in nursing home resident’s rooms, if the resident consents and the cost is covered. The legislation would also allow the recordings to be used in court and would include penalties for anyone who tried to obstruct or disable the device.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the legislation and is quoted as follows: "The work that I have done … as attorney general has unfortunately proven that too often when our loved ones are in a nursing home they are not always safe and they are not always well cared-for." 

My question is this: If the nursing home or assisted living facility is responsible for providing a safe and caring environment…why should the residents or their families bear the cost of monitoring? It doesn’t seem appropriate to shift the cost away from the facility to the family who, quite frankly, may not be able to bear the cost. What do you think?