When your newborn was alone and asleep at night, you wouldn’t think twice about aiming a live camera on the crib just to monitor what’s going on. But what about aiming a live camera on a nursing home resident who may be impaired and unable to tell you if something is wrong? Is that kind of surveillance okay? What if your loved one has unexplained bruises or seems disheveled when you visit? Should you just rely on staff to alert you if there’s a problem? All of these very legitimate questions are being raised right now as states consider legislation that would allow loved ones to monitor from afar the care of their relatives through video cameras. Five states already permit this and Louisianna is now debating the issue as well. On the one hand, it provides peace of mind and may inhibit abusive or neglectful behavior. But it comes at a cost, as it can be argued that the privacy and dignity of the resident are violated. And caregiving staff may resent not being trusted or object to being filmed. Some commentators have even suggested that family members hire a private investigator if they suspect neglect or abuse of their loved one in a nursing home. There are certainly pros and cons to these sorts of surveillance measures. Before you think about such measures for your own loved ones, you may want to click here to consider a list of questions and concerns that may arise as a result.