Founder Ed Dudensing Authors McKnight’s Op-Ed on Esther’s Law and Cameras in Long-Term Care
October 1, 2026
Originally published by McKnight's Long Term Care News
Dudensing Law founder Ed Dudensing recently authored an opinion piece in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, titled “Why Esther’s Law May Be Worth Copying in Every State.” McKnight’s is the leading national trade publication for the skilled nursing industry with readers running the nation’s 15,000 plus nursing homes and collectively charged with providing quality eldercare services for more than 1.5 million residents each year.
In the piece, Ed suggests that states consider a law like Ohio’s Esther’s Law, which sets clear rules for long-term care residents who want to use electronic monitoring devices in their rooms.
Ed traces the law back to Steve Piskor. Piskor’s mother, Esther, was abused by aides at her Ohio nursing home, even though years of visits had turned up nothing wrong. He found the abuse only after he installed a camera. After her death in 2018, he spent years pushing for a law that would clearly permit monitoring in resident rooms. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Esther’s Law in December 2021. In June 2026, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 4517, which extended the state’s existing nursing home monitoring rights to assisted living and shared housing settings.
Ed also cites research suggesting that cameras can change behavior as well as document it. He points to a University of Michigan study with the Oakland Police Department, which found that officers who reviewed their own body-worn camera footage in training improved how they communicated in the field.
“What years of visits and clean reports never revealed, one camera exposed in days,” Ed writes.
Ed urges residents and families to check their state’s recording and consent laws before placing a device in a long-term care room. He argues that visibility is where accountability begins.
Consent should always come first. It should come from the resident, or from a legally authorized representative if the resident cannot consent, and any roommates’ privacy should be respected. For practical guidance on consent, roommates and audio recording, see this resource from California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR): https://canhr.org/video-cameras-in-snfs/
Read the full article here: https://www.mcknights.com/blogs/guest-columns/why-esthers-law-may-be-worth-copying-in-every-state/