Two Iowa nursing home employees were fired for posting an inappropriate picture of a resident on the internet.
According to an article on USAToday.com, the Bishop Drumm Retirement Center in Des Moines reported to police that employees had taken pictures of a nursing home resident and posted it on the internet through social media. The nature of the photos and the number of photos was not released.
The facility issued a statement saying, “Publishing such photos of a resident, allegedly taken by rogue employees, not only violates Mercy and Bishop Drumm’s core values — it also violates the human dignity of the resident. All employees are educated about Protected Health Information which includes photos. In addition they learn about elder abuse and how to prevent it. Such behavior cannot and will not be tolerated.”
The resident’s family was also made aware of the situation.
In today’s world of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, it’s easy for a simple post or picture to go viral. What might have been meant for only a few to see can spread across the web in an instant. Social media is a great way for people to keep in touch with friends and family, especially when they are spread out across the country. But it can be cruel and humiliating when something inappropriate is posted at someone else’s expense. That’s exactly what happened in the situation with these nursing home employees. Because the employees violated the facility’s core values, the nursing facility had no choice but to take the step of firing them.
We all deserve respect and dignity, but the weak and feeble living in skilled nursing homes are most at risk for having things like this happen, because they cannot defend themselves. If you have a loved one in a nursing home and you suspect they are not being treated with respect and dignity, you may have a case. Contact the nursing home abuse attorneys at O’Connor Law for a free review of your case.