Connecticut State Ombudsman, Mairead Painter, Interviewed on Cruel Social Media Posts Targeting Nursing Home Residents

December 17, 2023

Social media mistreatment of nursing home residents by staff is an ongoing and often unreported problem in long-term care facilities across the country, according to Eilon Caspi, a Connecticut researcher. They range in severity from sharing personal information on social media without the residents’ consent to “demeaning” and “dehumanizing” behavior caught on video and posted online to social media platforms, such as TikTok and Snapchat. Mairead Painter, Connecticut State Ombudsman, said it’s unknown how widespread the problem is. She also said, “when it comes up. I think it's really important for people to report it and for it to be recognized and dealt with in that moment by the administration in that building. The resident may not be able to give consent to that. They may not understand that you were doing something that was making fun of them or was disrespectful.”

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