How Surveillance Footage Can Prove Nursing Home Abuse

Updated: July 3, 2025 by Michael Kahn. Published: July 3, 2025.

Nursing homes are entrusted with the care of some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. When that trust is broken, the consequences can be devastating. Families who suspect their loved one is suffering from abuse or neglect often feel helpless, especially when the victim cannot communicate what’s happening. Fortunately, surveillance footage can play a critical role in uncovering the truth and holding negligent facilities accountable.

In recent years, video evidence has become one of the most powerful tools in nursing home abuse investigations. In this blog, we’ll explore how surveillance footage can help prove nursing home abuse, the legal considerations around video recording, and how families can use this evidence to seek justice. If your loved one was neglected at a nursing home, call PKSD to discuss legal options.

What Is Considered Nursing Home Abuse?

Before diving into how surveillance footage can help, it’s important to understand what qualifies as abuse. Nursing home abuse includes a wide range of mistreatment, such as:

• Physical abuse – hitting, pushing, excessive restraint
• Emotional abuse – humiliation, intimidation, verbal assaults
• Neglect – failure to provide adequate food, hygiene, or medical care
• Sexual abuse
• Financial exploitation

Some forms of abuse leave physical evidence, like bruises or bedsores, while emotional or verbal abuse can go unnoticed without direct observation.

How Surveillance Footage Helps Prove Abuse

1. Capturing Abuse in Real Time

In many cases, surveillance cameras installed in common areas or individual rooms can capture abusive behavior as it occurs. This might include physical assaults, staff yelling at residents, or employees failing to provide necessary care. When caught on video, such behavior provides undeniable proof of wrongdoing.

2. Supporting Witness Testimony

Surveillance footage can corroborate the accounts of other residents, staff members, or family members. For example, if a CNA reports that a nurse ignored a call light for hours, video footage can validate that timeline. In abuse cases, this can strengthen the credibility of witness testimony and support legal claims.

3. Uncovering Patterns of Neglect

Even when direct abuse isn’t captured, video can reveal patterns of neglect. Footage may show residents being left unattended for extended periods, staff failing to turn bedridden patients (which can lead to bedsores), or residents wandering unsupervised, placing them at risk of injury or death.

4. Disproving False Claims

Surveillance doesn’t just protect residents. It can also protect staff from false accusations. In some cases, a nursing home may argue that a resident’s injury was accidental or caused by preexisting conditions. Video evidence can help establish what occurred, whether it supports or contradicts the facility’s version of events.

Can You Legally Install a Camera in a Nursing Home Room?

The legality of placing surveillance cameras in a nursing home room varies by state and depends on several factors. As of 2025, at least a dozen states, including Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota, have passed laws allowing families to install cameras in residents’ rooms, often referred to as “granny cams.”

Legal considerations include:

• Consent: In most cases, you’ll need the consent of the resident or their legal guardian.
• Roommates: If the resident has a roommate, their permission may also be required.
• Notice: Some states require that the facility be notified or that a visible sign be posted alerting people that the room is under surveillance.

Before installing any device, check your state’s laws or speak with a lawyer to ensure you’re in compliance. Unauthorized recording could result in legal complications or the footage being deemed inadmissible in court.

What About Facility-Owned Surveillance?

Many nursing homes already have their own surveillance systems installed in public areas like hallways, lobbies, or dining rooms. These recordings can be requested as part of an investigation or legal case. However, facilities may not always be forthcoming with this footage.

To obtain facility surveillance footage:

• Submit a written request to the nursing home administrator
• Work with an attorney to formally request footage during discovery
• Act quickly because many facilities overwrite footage every 7 to 30 days, depending on their system

If you suspect abuse occurred at a specific time, document the date and time immediately and request the footage without delay.

How Families Can Use Video to Build a Case

If you suspect abuse or neglect and believe surveillance footage could support your claim, take the following steps:

1. Document the signs of abuse, like unexplained injuries, behavioral changes, weight loss, etc.
2. Request surveillance footage from the facility as soon as possible
3. Consider installing a camera, if legal in your state and the resident consents
4. Speak with a personal injury attorney who handles nursing home abuse cases

An experienced attorney can help gather evidence, interpret surveillance footage, and build a compelling case for compensation and accountability.

Real-World Impact of Surveillance Footage

Surveillance has been instrumental in numerous high-profile nursing home abuse cases. For example:

• In 2021, hidden camera footage in a Texas nursing home showed staff repeatedly ignoring a resident who was in obvious distress. The video led to criminal charges and a substantial civil settlement.
• In another case, hallway footage helped prove that a resident’s fall was not an accident but the result of an aide recklessly leaving the resident unattended in a wheelchair at the top of a ramp.

These examples highlight just how powerful video evidence can be, not only in proving abuse but in forcing long-overdue changes in facility policies and staffing.

No family wants to believe that their loved one could be harmed by those entrusted to care for them. But when suspicions of abuse arise, surveillance footage can provide clarity and justice. Whether captured by a facility’s cameras or a family-installed device, video evidence is a powerful tool for proving abuse, preventing further harm, and holding nursing homes accountable for their actions.

If you believe your loved one is suffering abuse or neglect in a nursing home, don’t wait. Speak with a qualified nursing home abuse attorney today to explore your legal options and secure the evidence you need to protect your family.