Types Of Physical Restraints in Nursing Homes
A physical restraint is a method that disables the movement of a resident. Sometimes, a physical restraint may be ordered by the resident’s physician in order to protect the resident and other staff members and residents from any harm that can be caused by the resident in the restraints. Other times, the use of physical restraints has become an ethical issue. Nursing homes are using restraints for non-approved reasons. The use of physical restraints can severely injure an elder resident.
Physical restraints must only be used when there is no other method of ensuring safety for the residents and staff members. Continual use of physical restraints is a form of abuse that can affect the resident both physically and emotionally. No one should be confined and lack freedom, especially a human being that lacks the strength to protect themselves. A loved one who has been physically restrained within a nursing home may have been so unethically. The Tampa lawyers of abuse and neglect help these victims who were mistreated and abused with the use of physical restraints. If long-term care facilities use these restraints just to control a patient or to have them there so that they do not have to supervise them, the nursing home can be liable for this abuse.
A long-term care facility must have a good reason to place physical restraints on a resident or an order from a doctor. Use of physical restraint in any other circumstance can indicate abuse. If an elder person was physically restrained, there should prove that shows why they were restrained and that it was absolutely necessary. Typically, mental institutions require restraining their patients, not nursing homes.
Different Physical Restraints Present in Old Folks’ Homes
.A physical restraint can be done in various ways. Nursing homes have the facility to use different types of restraints in different settings. Some of those include:
- Strap Vests
- Bedrails
- Chairs with restraints
- Mitts for the hands
- Ties around the hands
Restraints must not be used as punishment or convenience for the nursing home. The laws and regulations surrounding physical restraints prevent the use of physical restraints for anything other than to ensure the public’s safety.
Restraints Have a Negative Impact on Residents
Physical restraints impact a resident in numerous ways. It can affect them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. These impacts can even lead to suicidal thoughts.
- Discomfort
- Pain
- Weakening of the muscles
- Dignity tarnished
- Lack of self-worth
- Lack of mobility
- Thoughts of self-harm
Physical Restraints Being Used More Frequently in Tampa
Alternatives to physical restraints can be used to limit the frequency of physical restraints. When the nursing staff uses physical restraints as a form of punishment or convenience to not have to check on the residents, this is definitely considered a form of abuse. The best personal injury attorneys in Miami do not believe that long-term care facilities should have the right to use physical restraints whenever they deem it so. They must follow the laws and regulations associated with physical restraints, if not they need to pay for the consequences of their actions.
