Physical restraints abuse

The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 gives all nursing home residents the right to be free from physical and chemical restraints used for the purpose of discipline or for the convenience of the nursing home staff. Restraints may be used only to ensure the physical safety of the resident or other residents and, except in an emergency, only when a doctor writes an order that details the duration and circumstances under which restraints can be used.

Although the use of restraints in nursing homes has decreased since the Nursing Home Reform Act was passed, too many nursing home residents are still being restrained. The most recent data shows that in 1999, about 16 percent of nursing home residents were restrained at some point during their stay -- that's about 240,000 people. Also, approximately 200 nursing home residents die each year as a result of strangulation or suffocation caused by restraints, even in cases where the restraints were correctly applied.

Those most often restrained include residents limited in their ability to carry out three or more activities of daily living, those with low cognitive performance, those taking antipsychotic medications, and those with a history of falls. Often there are too many patients for too few employees. Unfortunately, this situation is too often remedied by the use of physical or chemical restraints. The unnecessary use of restraints in nursing homes is a form of nursing home abuse; and, in most case, restraints are not necessary.

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