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Are they entitled to do this? I became aware one day when I was having a conversation with my mum about a pencil case that was missing. It had been missing for a while but the day after the conversation the pencil case appeared back in her room.
The manager of the home and her friend who is one of the activities coordinators have also had a snoop at my FB page recently. All of this makes me uneasy and I’m not sure what to do or if I should trust them with the care of my parents. I only realised the listening device was there today when I took a closer look at it. Previously I had thought it was something to do with the heating.

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Lets say its a baby monitor, to keep check on the patient. I would think they need someone to sign off on this. I would mention that you were wondering what it was. If they admit its a listening device then ask how you can turn it off while you visit. Remember, your Mom is a resident. This is now her home and as such she has rights. Even though it may be for her safety you need to be made aware of it. She is entitled to her privacy.
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jeannegibbs Jun 2018
Actually, JoAnn, I wonder exactly how much privacy a person in a hospital or nursing home is legally entitled to. Concern about privacy has been notably lacking anytime I've been in a hospital!

We don't know if this is truly a listening device, and if it is, whether it has been explained to Mother. Maybe she even signed off that she was aware of it.

We only have a few observations to go on. We don't know the whole picture, and I suspect neither does ELS1el.

Best starting place is to discuss this calmly with the NH manager or DON.
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I used an "eavesdropping" device for both my mother and husband at night. It was a two-way baby monitor. It helped me ensure that when they in their rooms and I was elsewhere I would know when they were up and check on them. So the thought of some kind of listening device doesn't seem sinister to me. But it should be off when someone is with Mother, in my opinion.

Since the item had been missing for a while it is entirely possible Mother mentioned to some staff member, who recognized it when she happened upon it, and returned it to the room. Or if Mother's name or code was on it, anyone could have known where it belonged. Its return may or may not have been related to the conversation about it between Mother and OP.

My mom's treasured lap blanket went missing at her NH. We told staff about it and a notation was made in her file. Someone on the staff noticed the note and said she wondered if that was the one she found in the lobby and returned to another resident, Joe. Yup. Joe had it. He had one of his own, with the same team logo in the same colors. It is understandable that the aide thought it was his and that Joe wasn't with-it enough to realize it wasn't his. Outcome is that Mom got her team lap blanket back.

There are seldom sinister motives behind missing items and the best way to get them back is to mark everything with a name or room number or ID code, and to report missing items to staff.
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Hi
Did you look by other residents doors to see if the same thing was there too? Why not just point it out to the HN and ask about it? I'm sure it would ease your mind.

How did you know they looked at your FB page?
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Hmm. Never heard of that one. Maybe others here have.

If it is a listening device, perhaps it is to help monitor residents. But there should be a way for you to shut it off while you are visiting. When Mom is all alone or just with her roommate, maybe it is appropriate. But listening in on your conversations without your knowledge or approval doesn't sound legal to me. Discuss this with the director of nursing. Don't be emotional, and don't make accusations, but seek information and a way to preserve your privacy.

What you put on facebook is generally public. You can protect some aspects of your information by making it "private" but you should always assume anyone can see it. I wince when I read some people complaining bitterly about their jobs or their bosses. Would they really not mind if their boss happened to see that? I often posted about experiences at my mother's NH, and I would not have minded if someone on the staff read it. I never posted negatively about my work.

Things go missing in nursing homes. Residents misplace things themselves. Other residents "borrow" them. (Usually more than half the residents have dementia.) And with listening devices or not, sometimes those items find their ways back into the right room. Missing items ought to be reported to staff, so if they happen upon them they'll know where to return them.

1) Talk to the manager or don about the listening device.
2) Realize that anyone may see your fb postings, and post accordingly.
3) Report missing items to staff. Be glad if a missing item returns!

How is the care your mother is receiving outside of this privacy issue? Is she content there? Is she eating and drinking enough? Does she get some appropriate level of exercise? Social activity? Does she sleep well? Are they attentive to her health needs?
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First, please don't rely on "facts not in evidence." Any of the staff could have overheard your conversation. A law enforcement officer would probably tell you that there's no evidence they were eavesdropping, and that it may simply be coincidence that the pencil case was returned.

Are you absolutely sure it's an eavesdropping device? Have you asked police to verify that?

Are all her possessions identified with her name?

In reality, you aren't on firm grounds complaining that some reviewed your FB page. If you read the TOS, you'll probably find something buried in the legalese that authorizes this. Remember, Mr. Z hasn't been in the news and gotten a lot of bad publicity b/c he's such a nice guy.

You open your up to loss of privacy when you post on FB.

I also wonder how and why staff would have the time to prowl online and snoop out someone's FB page though. This doesn't make sense to me.

Have you contacted an administrator about this?
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things are always missing items from my moms room. usually its because my mom moved the item. (and cant remember where she put it.) it can take me 10-20 min to find whatever it is. sometimes I give up looking and it shows up later.
if theres a listening device that would seem weird to me. at least in our situation (AL)
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The only way I know if someone has looked at my FB stuff is if they leave a comment or leave a "like" icon. If there is some other way, I'd like to know what it is.
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Hmm, this is a new one for me too. I have to wonder, do staff actually have time to be actively monitoring all the residents' rooms? And was it like a super-valuable pencil case that someone stole for kicks or to sell for big money or....?

I apologize for sounding glib but I'm not sure I understand what the motivation would be to take a pencil case and then put it back, after listening in to one of a dozen or more resident doorways. It's a weird scenario to me.
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Els1eL, I agree with the other writers regarding the Staff wouldn't have time to snoop on someone's conversations. Does your Dad's room have the same thing, as in your title you mentioned "parents".

I don't use Face Book and was wondering if one can tell who actually did read a person's facebook page. Is there a list of names of who took a look at a page? Just curious.
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Els, a word about FB and its tracking mechanisms....I have never been a member, never used it, so there's no reason to conclude that I might be interacting with other members based on my own computer activity.

However, several years ago I received 2 solicitations from FB, under the guise of "knowing" or "communicating" with other FB members. Besides including a relative and the salon where I get my hair permed, there was one person who was a potential contractor.

He sent me a quote by e-mail, as we discussed. I never e-mailed him, nor was I aware he was an FB member. Yet FB was able to determine that he sent me a quote.

The only way it could do that is through some monitoring system of his mail, and recipients.

Big Brother isn't the government; it's FB and tracking devices (such as cookies) on line.
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