Physical abuse - are bed rails used as restraints in nursing homes

Is a bedrail a restraint?

Yes, if it's used to restrain a nursing home resident. Oftentimes, the use of bedrails isn't questioned and orders are not obtained because people mistakenly believe that the bedrails are either an effective safety device or that they pose no harm. The most common injury suffered by those enclosed by bedrails occurs when a nursing home resident climbs over the rails and falls to the floor. This type of fall increases the risk of a more significant injury than a person would suffer if he or she fell from a bed without bedrails, because they fall from a greater height. Also, because the use of bedrails increases the likelihood that a nursing home resident will spend more time in bed and, therefore, lose muscle strength and develop gait and balance problems, the chances of falling when attempting to get up after the rails are removed increases.

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Sources: Service Employees International Union Report (1999); Health Care Financing Administration's Online Survey, Certification and Reporting Data (March 2000); HCFA's National Restraint Reduction Newsletter (Summer 2000); Philadelphia Enquirer, Report Criticizes State over Nursing Homes (March 11, 1998)

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Is a bedrail a restraint?

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