This law/policy forces my mother w/Alzheimer's and recent hip fracture, to sleep on narrow bed without bed rails, at a post-op facility. She has a history of falling, and hallucinates at night making that the most dangerous time. I offered to sign a waiver, or to stay the night at the facility to guard her, but was denied.
I understand restraints were over used in the past, and they are dangerous to some people, but our situation was an obvious, more danger without the bed rails(allowed in hospitals). I want to advocate for patients Right to Not Fall.
My Mom was in a nursing Home. Physical restraints or anything that remotely physically restrained the patient were not allowed by State Law.
Bed rails were not allowed either. I don’t remember if that was State Law or the Nursing Home rules. There was a fear the patient would get themselves stuck in the bed rails or try to go over the bed rail. I only remember it was not an option.
As Barb mentioned above, my Mom was placed in a floor level bed. The frame was constructed out of PVC pipe. There were crash mats placed around her bed. Bed alarms were used along with an alarm cushion in her wheelchair. The alarms just sounded Mom was out of place and “on the move”.
But. Although I have not researched the records methodically, I have noticed that in many of the incidents I have seen reported the problem was not the bed rail itself, the problem was *misuse* of the bedrail through lack of training, lack of attention to specifications, lack of time to do it properly. So that staff were not locking the rail in place, and it slipped on being leaned on; or a facility ordered rails which did not match the beds to which they were fitted, leaving a gap just large enough for people's heads to get stuck in; or an aide was called away urgently and didn't notice a trapped arm. That kind of thing. These are "never" events, they should never happen. But, very rarely though still sadly, they do.
Well. One way of making sure that bedrails are never misused is to ban them. The great benefit of this approach is that you cannot be sued for negligence, and at the same time you can claim the moral high ground as a defender of elders' rights to liberty. Neat, isn't it?
But I do not myself know of anyone whose loved one is a falls risk who is not driven to apoplexy by this issue.
I agree that the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction - there has to be a middle ground on this situation that allows for safety to be considered.
What is a post op facility? If it’s rehab then unfortunately bedrails are not allowed. Silly silly rule.
It wasn't easy keep my elderly Mom in bed when she was in long-term-care. She had forgotten how to walk or even stand. Thus the bed was lowered, rubber mats on both sides of her bed, and pillows tucked all around her.... being the bed was so darn narrow, Mom wasn't able to turn herself over :(