By William D. Slicker
In 2011, 78 year old Esther Piskor was suffering from advanced stage Alzheimer’s disease and was living in a nursing home in Ohio. Her son became concerned about bruises on her face. He installed a granny cam which caught a nurse’s aide poking Esther’s face.[1] Over ten years later, Ohio enacted Esther’s Law which allows families to install cameras in nursing homes without having to obtain the nursing home’s permission.[2]
A number of states now have such laws. These states include Illinois[3], Kansas[4], Minnesota[5], Missouri[6], New Mexico[7], North Dakota[8], Oklahoma[9], Texas[10], Utah[11], Virginia[12], and Washington[13].
Here in Florida, in 2021, 85 year old Janet Smith was suffering from dementia and was living in a nursing home. Her daughter, Stephanie Sifrit, asked the nursing home for permission to install a granny cam and was told “no.” Within two weeks her mother was raped.[14] Since then, Ms. Sifrit has pushed for Florida legislation that would allow for families to install granny cams without nursing home permission. In 2025, State Representatives Lopez and Rosenwald introduced HB 223 and State Senator Garcia introduced SB 64, but both bills were opposed by the Florida Health Care Association, the Florida Senior Living Association, and the Florida Assisted Living Association. The bills died in committee. In 2026, State Representative Plasencia introduced HB 651; but it was again opposed by the same lobbying groups and it died in committee.[15]
In 2026, lobbyists also killed a similar bill in Iowa.[16]
The same lobbyists were opposing a similar bill in Arizona, but as of the writing of this article, the bill has passed the House and appeared ready to be passed by the Senate.[17]
While the nursing home and assisted living facility lobbyists are actively opposing surveillance cameras, it appears that it is only a matter of time before Florida enacts such legislation. After all, Florida is home to the country’s second largest senior population and the number of abuse incidents has been growing. Representative Plasencia says that using cameras is crucial to protect those residents who do not have the capacity to speak for themselves.[18] Protecting abusers on staff in order to make it harder to sue the facilities, under the guise of protecting privacy is not a winning argument in the long run.
[1] Trexler, Phil, “Son Pushes for Cameras After Mother’s Nursing Home Abuse”, WKYC (Aug. 13, 2019). https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/son-pushes-for-cameras-after-mothers-nursing-home-abuse/95-aa80fc49-2cad-455b-8ce5-163512ae9783
[2] Sec. 3721.64, Ohio Stat. Saenz, Esther’s Law, allowing families to install cameras in Ohio nursing homes WKYC, 23 March 2022.
[3] Sec. 210 ILCS 32
[4] Sec. RS 40: 1193.1
[5] Sec. 144-6502
[6] Sec. 198.610 to 198.632
[7] Sec. 24-26-1 to 24-26-12
[8] Sec. 50-10.2-01 to 50-10.2-05
[9] Sec. 1-1956.1 to 1956.7
[10] Sec. 242.841 to 242.852
[11] Sec. 26B-2-236
[12] Sec. 12 VACS-371-191
[13] Sec. 388-78A-2690
[14] Paden, Andy, “Brandon Resident Pushes for “Granny Cam” Legislation After an Alleged Nursing Home Rape”, WTSP (Nov. 5, 2025) https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/manateecounty/bradenton-resident-granny-cam-legislation-alleged-nursing-home-rape/67-03e5eb50-61e2-4e53-82d3-ea13492e7e89
[15] Sexton, Christine, “House Panel OKs the Use of ‘Granny Cams’ in Long Term Care Facilities,” Florida Phoenix (Feb. 20, 2025) https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/20/house-panel-oks-the-use-of-granny-cams-in-long-term-care-facilities/
[16] Kauffman, Clark, “Senate Panel, Rejects Bill to Ensure Care Facility Residents Can Use ‘Granny Cams’”, News From the States (Feb. 5, 2026) https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/senate-panel-rejects-bill-ensure-care-facility-residents-can-use-granny-cams
[17] Juarez, Arizona House Advances SB 1041 Electronic Monitoring Bill Aimed at Protecting Long-Term Care Residents, AARP Arizona (Apr. 23, 2026)
[18] The Rise of ‘Granny Cams’ In Long-Term Care Facilities, Reinhardt & Bray
