industry & policy
Big brother is watching you
Cameras in aged care rooms raise the
question of privacy vs peace of mind.
By Dallas Bastian
T
he Minister for Aged Care has indicated the installation
of cameras in all aged care homes is on the table
following the airing of the second part of a Four
Corners investigation into the sector, but industry reaction has
been tentative.
Aged care and older persons’ bodies have stopped short of
publicly backing the call – and of rebutting it.
The Four Corners episode showed hidden camera footage of
residents being struck by aged care staff, prompting viewers to
question whether cameras should be installed in all rooms.
When asked about that by ABC radio Minister Ken Wyatt
indicated that he was at least open to the idea.
“I can appreciate the families who are very strongly supportive
now of cameras within those rooms,” he said. “None of this would
have been known without that footage as to how those individuals
were treated.”
COTA Australia chief executive Ian Yates backed Wyatt’s
comments about the action taken by family members to bring
issues to light.
Yates said: “We understand that – and the authorities have been
very clear that – they are not overly concerned about the breach
of privacy and recording legislation because there were genuine
reasons for doing that.
“On the other hand, I think that we don’t really want to
propagate an ideal of aged care that involves high levels of CCTV
surveillance.”
12 agedcareinsite.com.au
Instead, the ideal propagated should be on improving quality in
ways that mean such intervention is unnecessary, he said.
The home where this assault occurred still has a 100 per cent
accreditation rating. There’s no mention of the assault on its
website.
Matthew Richter, chief executive of the Aged Care Guild, an
association of eight of the largest private residential aged care
providers, said while the group recognises that cameras can give
peace of mind to residents and families – and potentially help
prevent rogue behaviour and criminal incidents – it’s important to
remember that residential aged care facilities are not hospitals, but
rather a person’s home.
“Residents deserve the same level of privacy and dignity that we
are all afforded in our homes,” Richter said. “Decisions concerning
the installation of cameras should be made between an individual
resident, their family and their care provider.”
Karl Rozenbergs, a partner at Hall & Wilcox lawyers, said should
a provider decide that the safety of the resident trumps privacy
concerns, there are still a number of workplace surveillance laws
across the country to contend with – and they differ between
states and territories.
“What that means is that people running the facility can’t just put
in the surveillance. The only way to get around that legislation is if
the parties consent.
“Then you have issues around the capacity of the person to
consent, especially in circumstances where the resident has the
onset of dementia.”
Yates said there are many residents who might want to
have their own privacy and freedom to do whatever they
want to behind their closed doors. He added that family
members who consent to CCTV surveillance on behalf of