Hidden "granny cams" spread in popularity as weapon for catching elder abuse

Jean Peters felt a wave of anxiety sweep over her as she watched video footage of her frail, 85-year-old mother being ridiculed by a nursing aide at York Gardens senior home in Edina.

The female aide can be heard repeatedly chastising the elderly woman, twice calling her a “grown-ass adult” as she tugged on her clothing and yanked at her bra. “You are really frustrating, you know that?” she says. “That is why I am so rough with you.”

Now, nearly two years after catching the incident on video, Peters and her sister Kay Bromelkamp have become zealous proponents of using miniature cameras to catch abuse in senior homes. The cameras, which cost as little as $80 and can fit inside a teddy bear or potted plant, have surged in popularity despite privacy concerns and calls for more regulation.

http://www.startribune.com/hidden-granny-cams-spread-in-popularity-as-weapon-for-catching-elder-abuse/371935611/