Nursing home workers post ‘demeaning’ photos, videos of residents

Over the past five years, there have been at least 15 cases of Iowa nursing home workers being accused of taking photos or videos that violated residents’ right to privacy and dignity, an Iowa Capital Dispatch review of state records shows.

The most recent case involves a northern Iowa nursing home that was cited for failing to report an employee’s allegations that a caregiver streamed video of a partially undressed resident to the social-media platform Snapchat.

The Nora Springs Care Center, which is 10 miles east of Mason City, has been fined $500 for failing to report to the state inspections department an employee’s allegation of resident abuse.

According to state inspectors, a certified nursing assistant was working the evening shift Sept. 6, when she went to the care center’s shower room to obtain a wheelchair. The CNA allegedly reported that after she knocked and opened the door to announce that she was entering the room, she saw another staffer in the room, kneeling down in front of a resident who had known cognitive issues.

The CNA allegedly reported she could see that a cellphone was propped up against the wall and was recording on the Snapchat app, a social media program that streams video but typically limits the viewability of the content to a brief period before it becomes inaccessible.

According to inspectors, the CNA alleged the worker who was kneeling in front of the resident appeared startled and quickly stood up. Upon fully entering the shower room, the CNA allegedly reported, she could see her own leg come into view on the video recording, and she could also see the resident’s leg on the phone screen.

She allegedly stated that after she grabbed the wheelchair, she turned back to leave the room, and her colleague was standing in the doorway with no cellphone in sight. At that point, the resident was sitting in a shower chair with a shirt and briefs on, but their pants were not fully on.

The CNA left the shower room and immediately reported the incident to the nurse on duty. The resident was interviewed by the care facility’s staff three days later and allegedly stated he had no concerns regarding improper treatment and had not witnessed any improper cellphone use.

According to inspectors, the facility conducted a “comprehensive investigation” that included interviews with staff and found “no evidence” to support the CNA’s allegations.

“To reinforce expectations and safeguard resident privacy, the facility has implemented robust staff re-education, increased supervision, and ongoing monitoring to ensure strict adherence to all cellphone-use and abuse-prevention policies,” state inspectors reported.

According to the inspectors, the facility’s administrator allegedly confirmed Nora Springs Care Center had not notified the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing of the incident as required.

Records show over 15 cases of media abuse

An Iowa Capital Dispatch review of state inspection records shows that since 2021, there have been at least 15 other instances of care facility workers taking photos or videos that resulted in the homes being cited for violating residents’ rights. In most of those cases, the photos or videos were shared via social media.

Among the cases:

Bishop Drumm Retirement Center, Johnston: In January 2024, the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing cited this nursing home for four separate instances of social media abuse.

In one instance, a male resident was photographed sitting in a wheelchair with a blue bonnet on his head with a caption underneath stating, “Like, why are you stealing my bonnet?”

In another instance, video was recorded of a resident sitting on a toilet with their pants around their ankles while an unidentified individual waved their stocking feet back and forth under the resident’s nose as the resident protested, saying, “Stop doing that, your feet stink.” A caption underneath the video read, “Gassed.”

In the third instance, a resident was photographed sitting on a toilet with their pants around their ankles with their shirt off and exposing one side of their breasts. A caption underneath the picture “was not able to be read,” inspectors reported.

In the fourth instance, inspectors reported that a video showed a resident of the home lying in bed with their eyes open and a blanket over them while another individual was “shaking their butt — twerking — in front of the resident’s face.”

The available records indicate each of the four residents was “exposed to social-media abuse by a member of staff,” but they don’t indicate how the photos or videos were shared, what social media platform was used or how many workers were involved.

No fines or penalties were imposed as a result of the inspectors’ findings.

Good Samaritan Home, Algona: In November 2024, state officials cited this facility with failing to protect residents from personal degradation. The violation was tied to a video posted to social media of a CNA having a conversation with a resident sitting in her wheelchair in her room.

In the video, the worker was seen talking about being the resident’s friend, pulling the woman’s pants up and sitting on her lap. “You can clearly see and hear the resident in the video,” an employee who reported the matter allegedly told inspectors.

In addition, inspectors reported that a dietary aide indicated she had received “a couple of videos” and photos from a former colleague, one of which showed a resident’s feet with a caption stating, “This man is literally dying.” Another photo was of a catheter bag with the caption, “The color of a resident’s p—.”

The Iowa Department of Inspections Appeals and Licensing imposed a $500 fine for resident abuse and the personal degradation of residents, plus a $500 fine for failing to adequately report resident abuse to state regulators.

Good Samaritan Home, Ottumwa: In August 2023, this facility was cited for failing to maintain residents’ personal privacy. A CNA at the home had allegedly reported that she witnessed a colleague using the social media platforms TikTok live and FaceTime while at work and then, without disconnecting, entering residents’ rooms to provide personal care while livestreaming.

The CNA allegedly reported that on one such occasion, she heard her colleague state a resident’s name. The home’s assistant director of nursing told inspectors no formal disciplinary action was taken, but there were “verbal discussions” about personal phone use during work hours.

Altoona Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: In August 2022, the state cited this facility for resident abuse related to video of a resident’s shredded brief that was shared with at least one other staffer. The state inspection report gives no indication as to whether the resident was visible in the video, but indicates that when a licensed practical nurse was informed of the matter she “went to the staff member who took the video and escorted that staff member out of the facility.”

Parkview Manor, Wellman: In January 2024, state inspectors cited this facility for failing to treat residents with dignity by posting a picture of a resident on social media. The undated photo showed a resident in bed, with her right arm visible, and papers and clothes strewn on the floor. The photo displayed “facebook.com” at the top, inspectors reported.

A dietary aide told inspectors she’d heard that a housekeeper posted a picture of a resident on social media, adding that she had then been asked to help remove the photo from the site. Another worker told inspectors she had visited a social media site and had seen three photos of “a resident’s room, which was a mess.”

National study completed last month

Last month, Colorado’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman published a report that examined 100 incidents of privacy violations in 30 states that took place between March 2017 and April 2025.

The incidents involved caregivers taking unauthorized photos and videos of residents and posting them to various social media platforms. The report cited “many disturbing incidents” of photos and videos “showing naked residents in compromised positions in their beds or in their bathrooms with feces on them, or verbal/mental or physical abuse of residents with demeaning captions.”

The report indicates that of the 100 incidents that were examined by the Colorado ombudsman, six took place in Iowa. The report does not include the incidents referenced above that took place during the March 2017-April 2025 timeframe, although the incident at the Altoona home doesn’t appear to have involved any social media postings.

According to the ombudsman’s report, the homes with the most incidents of social media abuse were Illinois, with nine; Michigan, with eight; and Minnesota, with seven.

Along with Iowa, the states of Ohio, Indiana, California, Kansas and Oklahoma each had six incidents detailed in the report.

The six Iowa incidents identified by the Colorado ombudsman are:

Karen Acres Center, Urbandale: Sometime in 2024, a worker recorded video of a female resident lying in bed, speaking random words, with her face visible in the video. The worker could be seen in the video, wearing a hoodie while rubbing his chin and rolling his eyes while the resident spoke in an incoherent manner.

The worker posted the video to Instagram with the words, “Everyone, say hi to (resident’s first name).” The resident’s daughter later told inspectors, “My mom has dementia for some time now. Why would he video her? Was he trying to embarrass her?”

The worker later explained his actions to investigators by saying he had been “chilling and talking” to the resident. The home reported the matter to the state as required.

Clearview Home, Mount Ayr: In December 2022 or January 2023, a caregiver at the home recorded video of a male resident in bed tearing up his briefs. The worker later explained that she shot the video because she thought it was funny, and asserted that when she placed the phone in her pocket she accidentally uploaded the video to Snapchat.

An assistant administrator stated that initially management of the home dismissed the matter as “teenage drama” between the worker who shot the video and the worker who saw it on Snapchat, but months later, when another worker was alleged to have taken photos of a different resident, the investigation into the May 2023 incident was reopened and the employee admitted shooting the video. The home failed to report the matter to the state as required.

Accura Healthcare, Pleasantville: In March 2022, a CNA recorded video of herself reclining in a chair while a resident with dementia rubbed her feet. The video, uploaded to Snapchat, was titled “A real man.” The worker, who admitted the conduct, was suspended by the facility. The home failed to report the matter to the state as required.

Living Center West, Cedar Rapids: In November 2024, a worker uploaded to Snapchat video of a male resident holding an ice cream cone. The man, who had moderate cognitive impairment, appeared to be sitting in a wheelchair without his dentures in place, as a female asked, “Let me see your teeth.” The man then displayed a toothless smile and the female laughed. The home reported the matter to the state, but not in the required time frame. The worker was fired.

Careage Hills Rehabilitation and Health Care, Cherokee: In February 2021, a CNA used Facebook to relay to others the details of a fatality in the home. (State inspection records describe the CNA’s communication as both a “post” to Facebook as well as a message sent using the Facebook’s Messenger app.)

The information shared by the CNA included the name of the resident who had died after falling out of a chair while being removed from the home’s whirlpool bath. The worker was counseled by the facility and given a verbal warning, according to inspectors.

Midlands Living Center, Council Bluffs: In September 2024, a nurse aide in training allegedly recorded video of a discussion between herself and a resident which she later uploaded to Snapchat. It showed the aide talking to a resident whose face and body were obscured so she could not be identified, but others later told inspectors they recognized the voice.

The resident could be heard asking for help with the nurse aide responding in a condescending and disrespectful tone, “I would be willing to help you, but you haven’t listened to me once this entire night. I can’t help you if you’re not going to listen to me.” The aide was fired. The home reported the matter to the state as required.

Widespread pattern

A total of 147 victims were identified as part of the Colorado Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s report. About 88 percent of the victims were reported to have some level of cognitive impairment.

While many state investigation reports didn’t reference the specific social media platform used by the caregivers, the most commonly named platform was Snapchat, followed by Facebook.

In 2016, following a spate of photo-related cases of nursing home abuse in Iowa and other states, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa called on federal officials to take a more active role in fighting privacy violations of nursing home residents. In the wake of that effort, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent out a memo to state inspection agencies reminding them of residents’ privacy rights.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.