New Minnesota Law Allows Families to Install Internet-Connected Cameras In Senior Care Facilities

The new policies, meant to protect elder privacy, have also drawn criticism because of the requirement that families notify care facilities before they install the camera.

After several years of public debate about the issue, a Minnesota law going into effect this month will allow family members to install video surveillance cameras in the rooms of elderly patients, given they meet a certain set of reporting requirements.

The new law clarifies some confusion over whether it was legal to install internet-enabled cameras in residents’ rooms at elderly care facilities, The Star Tribune reported. Remote monitoring systems have become increasingly popular for those who want another set of eyes on their older family members, may fall or need medical attention in the middle of the night when fewer caregivers are on hand.

Now, families can install the cameras if they obtain the elderly resident’s consent and notify the facility of their plans. If the patient has a roommate, they must also consent to the installation beforehand. And in the case that senior residents are cognitively impaired and cannot give consent, their family members must submit a form with a written statement from a medical professional confirming the patient’s condition.

“Once you install one of these cameras, you can’t imagine living without it,” Richard Breitman, an attorney who is using a camera to monitor his mother’s care, told the Star Tribune. “It gives you peace of mind knowing that another set of eyes is on our mother.”

The regulations have not come without controversy, particularly over the privacy rights of elderly people and the possibility that the reporting requirements could have a “chilling effect” on families seeking to install cameras.

On the one hand, families may find the additional paperwork burdensome and decide against installing a camera just to avoid the headache. But the state had to find a way to protect seniors’ privacy rights and ensure that patients know they are being filmed, according to Sean Burke of the Minnesota Elder Justice Center.

At the same time, the law also makes it a violation of state law to install a camera without first notifying a facility. If a family is concerned that their relative is a victim of elder abuse at a care facility, they might not want to notify staff that they are now monitoring their treatment of a patient.

The law does include an exception to the rule that addresses this concern: If a family member fears retaliation for installing the camera, they can install it for two weeks without notifying the facility if they fill out a form and submit it to the Office of the Ombudsman of Long-Term Care.

However, some advocates still believe that the new law is “unnecessarily punitive” and makes it easier for facilities to retaliate against families who seek to monitor the care of the patient.

“All people want to do is monitor the care of their loved ones, to make sure they are getting what they are paying for,” said Jean Peters, the president of Elder Voice Family Advocates. “These reporting requirements will have a chilling effect on families.”

Many elderly Minnesotans and their families are also just now learning about the technology, which means they will also need to be educated about the regulations surrounding internet-connected cameras in care facilities. Advocates say they are trying to get educational materials about the law into welcome packets for new patients.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.