{"id":10488,"date":"2016-12-16T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=10488"},"modified":"2019-07-24T15:27:21","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T20:27:21","slug":"what-to-know-about-social-media-and-your-parents-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/12\/what-to-know-about-social-media-and-your-parents-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About Social Media and Your Parents’ Privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

What to Know About Social Media and Your \"WhatParents’ Privacy<\/h1>\n

Social media is everywhere now, it seems. But there\u2019s one place that lawmakers and care-industry leaders say social media doesn\u2019t belong: in nursing-home residents’ personal spaces. That\u2019s because several dozen caregivers have been fired, and in some cases prosecuted, for posting privacy-violating pictures<\/a><\/strong> of vulnerable nursing home residents to social media sites without their knowledge or permission. Here\u2019s what you need to know about social media and your parents\u2019 privacy.<\/p>\n

The problem of social media abuse in senior communities is rare, experts say, but the embarrassment and upset it can cause is real. That\u2019s why the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a memo to state health agencies over the summer, urging them to oversee nursing-home social media policies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Know what\u2019s acceptable and what\u2019s not<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not practical to ban nursing home employees from using social media, but it is a violation of federal health privacy rules for them to share pictures of and personal health information about residents. It\u2019s also a violation of ethics and best practices for them to share residents\u2019 pictures without their written consent (or, in the case of patients\u2019 with dementia, a responsible family member\u2019s consent), even if the pictures are not offensive and no identifiable information is included.<\/p>\n

Know the social media rules at your parents\u2019 community<\/h2>\n

The American Health Care Association, a nursing-home and assisted-living trade group, issued general guidelines in June for social media use in senior communities<\/a><\/strong>. AHCA recommends that all facilities hold social-media training sessions for staff members so they understand the rules. It also suggests that social media rules be posted where staffers, residents, and visitors can see them.<\/p>\n

The rules AHCA recommends for staffers include:<\/p>\n