Security cameras for caregivers: do we need to tell them we have them?

Hi Cathy
I have cameras at my aunts house. They are clearly visible. She has short term memory prob so forgets who comes by to visit etc.
She has a Medialert pendant. She sets it off by mistake sometimes. The agency will call me. I will look on the camera and see that she is fine. I can see when her therapist come and go and that she is letting her dog outside. I can see when her aide comes and goes. When her nurse is there etc.
I see her having her meals. Locking her door and closing her garage at night. Going about her business in general.
I can certainly understand that you would feel better having the cameras for your husband.
I always tell the aides during the interview. They aren’t hidden and I don’t do audio.

My husband is on hospice, is total care & needs everything done for him. I have a caregiver while I work & sometimes when I am home to get things done. The camera is in the dining RM facing the front door & kitchen the other in family rm where it is focused on my husband. I am not recording at this point. It is motion sensored so could be for security if a front door break in. I'd only watch at work for short periods. I live in IL.

We have two cameras so I was interested to see what the law says about it.
Check this out: https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/babysitternanny-camera-legality.html
They can see our cameras easily so I doubt if I would need to tell them.

Even if you tell people that there are cameras they "forget" that they are there. "We" are recorded all the time (video) as you walk down the street, walking into a building and we think nothing of it now.
Audio recording is another thing and in most areas you will have to get permission to record audio.
To best answer in your particular case check with state and local laws.

We use cameras to provide caregiving so when we start needing to hire people to come in they will already be there and Mom will be used to having them. We have one that triggers every time someone drives into the parking area too, same as a video doorbell. But I don't see any reason to hide the fact they are there. Anyone I hire to come in I will have vetted (or a service will have) and we will trust enough that the we hopefully wont feel the need to secretly check up on them and I'm with whoever it was that said letting them know the cameras are there are a way to keep them on there toes just in case. If the caregiver objects they aren't the right fit for us.

Illinois is a two party consent state. That means that all the parties to the conversation must consent for the recording to not violate the law.

You cannot record her going to the bathroom or undressing. If she needs to use the same bathroom as your husband, you cannot have a recording device in there.

Why would you have them if you were going to tell them you had them?

Regardless of the law. I would tell them. That's being polite.

In general, laws on recording video are much more lax than recording audio. That's why even in the currently famous massage parlor case, the police only recorded video and not audio. That's also why security cameras in stores only record video and not audio.

You didn’t give a lot of details. Is your husband at home or in a facility? Wouldn’t the facility have to approve cameras? Even at home, I would check out what laws apply in your area. Best of luck to you.

I would make it part of the caregivers contract, that they will be recorded. If it is a problem then you probably don't want this person in your home.

We have cameras and a sign out front that says, "Smile, you're on camera!" Everyone is now notified and has the choice to enter or not. No other notifications are required.

We are recorded everywhere we go in this day and age.

I would get an opinion from an attorney in your jurisdiction who knows state and federal laws on electronic surveillance.

Here’s how I feel. If I were a caregiver I could care less if there was a camera pointed at me. I see where it may be uncomfortable at times as cwille stated but it would not stir up anger in me.

I think this is a very personal matter as to how we individually feel. Some would say if there wasn’t anything to hide why would a person care? Others say it’s an invasion of privacy and perhaps they feel it is disrespectful or a lack of trust.

I can see it being both beneficial and a detriment to a situation for all concerned. It is why it is such a controversial topic.

In Louisiana it is not illegal to voice record without knowledge, not sure about video record. I know someone who does the voice recording with her kid’s parent/teacher conference without their knowledge. She has a recorder hidden in an open purse.

Since she told me she does this, I say NOTHING of a personal nature to her. I just don’t trust this woman anyway. She constantly takes things out of context. She has no friends because of her irrational behavior. However, she is not doing anything illegal by voice recording without a person’s knowledge.

I do know that sometimes it isn’t an option to do surprise visits and a camera would be convenient for those times.

Where do you want to place a camera? Not in the bathroom l Hope. Then it’s a BIG problem! You would be considered a pervert. You would be a pervert! Interesting story about camera in bathroom. There was an employee in one of the local places here who got into a lot of trouble for installing a camera into the woman’s stall in his restaurant bathroom. He somehow got caught. Probably showing off what he caught on tape to the wrong person and they reported it. Good! That is sick!

Also there was a gas station owner who placed cameras and then used customers credit card numbers. He eventually get caught. Most criminals aren’t that smart! At least not long term. Sooner or later they screw up.

Plus people are afraid that only snippets of film will be shown, not the whole picture, out of context.

I know someone who wanted to use audio recording to tape lies and irrational behavior of his ex wife to obtain obtain custody of their kid. The mother did have major issues. I was his child’s teacher and he confided in me. I told him if he felt strongly about it he should speak to his attorney to get his advice on the matter. His attorney said that it did not matter what was caught on tape that her attorney would make him look like the bad guy for secretly recording and rip him to shreds and in the eyes of the wrong judge it would backfire on him. So it’s controversial to be sure. He strongly advised against recording.

I used to clean houses and I would have been incensed if someone had been watching me without my knowledge, I mean sometimes there are things you would do in private that you would never do in public (I'm talking things like wardrobe adjustments, not anything criminal). It seems to me the camera is even more effective if everyone knows it is there because people will be aware they are under scrutiny.

The law varies from state to state so while people here will encourage you to use cameras and tell you it’s fine in your own home, you need to research Illinois state law on this because it may in fact be illegal to record the caregiver without telling her.