PHOENIX — A bill that would allow cameras inside nursing homes is waiting for Arizona lawmakers in the Senate to bring it for a debate and a vote.
Right now in Arizona, cameras can be placed in a loved one's room only if a facility allows it. This includes rooms in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The bill would allow cameras as well as other electronic recording devices.
On Thursday, AARP held a press conference outside the Arizona Senate calling on leadership to bring the bill to the floor for a debate and to be voted on.
“We have not heard any confirmation that this bill will be heard, debated, and voted on,” said Dana Kennedy, state director of AARP Arizona. “I’m outraged because why can this bill not come forward?”
SB1041 is sponsored by Arizona Representative Quang Nguyen, and it's the third year in a row he has introduced legislation, but each year it has failed.
AARP says the bill would allow families or residents the right to install electronic monitoring devices, at their own expense, in their own rooms, if they choose.
Advocates say it would ensure transparency, accountability, and peace of mind for families.
Those opposed to the bill have concerns about privacy, private property rights, and loss of dignity for residents.
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The ABC15 Investigators recently reported on how a motion-activated camera helped document what happened to 89-year-old James McHose. His family says the videos show he was naked, alone, and on the floor for at least 22 hours.
McHose was living at the Oaks Senior Living in Gilbert when he fell last month.
His daughter, Jamie Hammonds, spoke with the ABC15 Investigators last week about how she found him alone and naked on the floor when she stopped by to drop off groceries.
She didn't realize how long her father had been left on the floor until she went to look back to the video footage that showed him alone all those hours.
It is unclear exactly how McHose fell, but Hammonds believes she can see the moments right after the fall on the motion-activated camera footage.
"I don't know what happened, but to see the chair moving was horrifying. To see him struggling for all these hours, like trying to get on the bed, the bed rail fell off, trying to get himself a blanket, trying to like cover up, and just get up. And he couldn't. That's just horrifying," Hammonds said.
AARP estimates there are only 18 states that have passed legislation to allow cameras inside facilities.
Hammonds spoke at the press conference on Thursday, asking leadership to consider this bill.
“I just want them to know the story was horrific. We don't have to make that up. It was horrible,” said Hammonds. “And I don't want another family to go through that.”
Since speaking with us last, Hammonds said her father has had a severe decline in his health, and she has had to place him in hospice.
Senate Republicans had no updates to provide on SB1041 on Thursday, but a spokesperson said the bill is still going through the legislative process.
