The Nature and Use of Surveillance Technologies in Residential Care

To support an aging population there has been a move towards developing surveillance technologies that observe the movements, behaviours and health status of older people. These technologies are meant to support health and independence within the context of limited resources. Although there have been studies about the development of new devices and systems, there has been less research examining the impact of surveillance technologies that monitor those residing and working in care facilities. This paper reports the findings from a qualitative study of a residential care facility that instituted video surveillance. The findings revealed how surveillance was used as a care management tool – to provide access to real-time data, to preserve the safety of older people and to monitor the working practices of formal carers. However, there may also be some unintended consequences of the implementation of video surveillance in residential care.