Landings of Westerville: Camera Surveillance Unplugged - OH
The incident occurred on August 5th when Unit Manager #379 removed a power strip from Resident #15's room at Landings of Westerville Health and Rehab. The power strip was connected to the resident's surveillance camera, which the family had installed to monitor their loved one's care.
The unit manager confirmed to inspectors on September 2nd that he never plugged the camera back into a power source after removing the strip. He said no other staff member reconnected it either, and while he notified the family, he was unsure when they came to the facility to fix it themselves.
Resident #15 was admitted to the facility on November 27, 2023, with multiple serious conditions including stroke, emphysema, acute chronic respiratory failure with low oxygen levels, diabetes, irregular heartbeat, and depression. A July assessment showed the resident had severe cognitive impairment, scoring only six points on a standard mental status test. The resident required total assistance from staff for all daily activities like eating, bathing, and moving around.
The facility's administrator was completely unaware the surveillance camera had been disconnected when inspectors interviewed her on September 2nd. This meant the family's ability to monitor their vulnerable relative had been silently eliminated for weeks without management knowing.
Landings of Westerville houses 109 residents total. The facility identified 15 residents who have surveillance cameras in their rooms, making this a violation affecting one of those monitored residents.
The facility's own policy on electronic monitoring, dated March 23, 2022, states that the facility will permit residents and their legal representatives to install and use electronic monitoring devices. The policy specifies that only authorized facility personnel are permitted to install such devices in resident rooms.
But the policy doesn't address what happens when facility staff disconnect the equipment during routine maintenance or safety checks. In this case, the unit manager's removal of the power strip effectively disabled the family's monitoring system, and no protocol ensured it would be restored.
The timing raises additional concerns. The camera was disconnected on August 5th, but inspectors didn't discover the violation until September 2nd during a complaint investigation. That means the cognitively impaired resident went nearly a month without the family surveillance that had been protecting them.
For families of nursing home residents, surveillance cameras serve as crucial safeguards. They can document quality of care, catch neglect or abuse, and provide peace of mind for relatives who cannot visit constantly. When cameras stop working without notice, families lose this protection entirely.
The facility's response suggests a communication breakdown between departments. The unit manager who removed the power strip knew the camera was disconnected but apparently didn't inform administration. The administrator's surprise when inspectors revealed the situation indicates no system existed to track or restore resident monitoring equipment.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to honor residents' rights to dignity, self-determination, and communication. Installing surveillance cameras represents families exercising these rights to ensure proper care for vulnerable relatives who cannot advocate for themselves.
Resident #15's case illustrates how easily these protections can disappear. A routine maintenance action by one staff member eliminated weeks of family oversight for a resident who needed total assistance with basic functions and had severe cognitive impairment.
The violation occurred during what appears to be a safety inspection of electrical equipment in the resident's room. Power strips can pose fire hazards in healthcare settings, so their removal might have been appropriate. But the failure to restore the camera's power connection violated the resident's established monitoring arrangement.
Inspectors classified this as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting few residents. But for Resident #15's family, the impact was total – their window into their loved one's daily care vanished without warning.
The facility must now develop procedures to ensure that when staff disconnect resident monitoring equipment for any reason, it gets reconnected promptly or families are immediately notified if that's not possible. The current system clearly failed to protect this basic resident right.
Resident #15 remains at the facility, presumably with the surveillance camera now functioning again after the family discovered the problem and fixed it themselves.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Landings of Westerville Health and Rehab The from 2025-09-02 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
LANDINGS OF WESTERVILLE HEALTH AND REHAB THE in WESTERVILLE, OH was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 2, 2025.
The incident occurred on August 5th when Unit Manager #379 removed a power strip from Resident #15's room at Landings of Westerville Health and Rehab.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.