Peoria Nursing Home Physical Restraint Attorneys

Attorneys Ready to Advocate for You

Physical restraint is a practice that can have serious and even deadly consequences for nursing home residents. Nursing home staff members may use these types of restraints to prevent patients from harming themselves or others, but these practices are often misused and abused by nursing homes in order to control the behavior of residents or make it easier to care for a large number of patients. Unfortunately, this form of nursing home abuse can lead to serious injuries, as well as emotional trauma. If your loved one has been the victim of inappropriate physical restraint in a nursing home, you will want to determine how to address this issue, protect your loved one’s health and safety, and prevent abuse from happening in the future.

At Nursing Home Injury Center, our team believes in helping families who have been affected by nursing home abuse and other injuries caused by nursing home negligence. We work to protect nursing home residents from abuse by holding negligent facilities responsible for failing to protect the safety of those in their care. We can help you take action to ensure that your loved one receives the services and treatment they need, that they will be protected against further harm, and that all forms of abuse or neglect will be addressed correctly.

How Improper Physical Restraints Can Harm Patients

There are some situations where it may be necessary to physically restrain nursing home patients to protect their safety. For example, nursing home staff may need to use restraints to prevent a resident from falling out of bed, wandering away, or attempting to harm themselves. However, nursing homes should be careful when using physical restraints, and these methods should generally only be used as a last resort after other safety measures have been taken.

Unfortunately, nursing homes may misuse physical restraints and put patients in danger of suffering harm. In some cases, restraints may be used in order to control the behavior of residents who staff members consider to be “difficult.” By physically restraining a person in bed through the use of wrist straps or bedrails or keeping them in a chair by using safety belts or other methods, staff members may prevent them from getting up and moving around. In some cases, these methods may be used by understaffed nursing homes, since they can make it easier for staff members to care for a large number of patients.

Inappropriate physical restraints can lead to multiple types of serious injuries. Patients may experience chafing due to wrist straps or other types of restraints, leading to sores and wounds that can become infected if they are not treated properly. If residents are kept restrained in their rooms or other locations without supervision, they may attempt to free themselves or get up on their own, which could lead to fall injuries. The inability to properly care for themselves may result in a patient becoming ill due to hygiene issues, or if they are unable to eat and drink properly, they may experience malnutrition or dehydration.

Inappropriate restraints can also lead to significant psychological trauma. Patients who are kept isolated and are unable to interact with others may experience issues such as loneliness, depression, and a reduced sense of self-worth. The lack of control over their own lives may lead them to feel hopeless, and they may stop eating, fail to attend to their own needs, or even consider or attempt suicide.

Assistance for Families of Patients Who Have Been Harmed by Inappropriate Physical Restraint

If you believe that your loved one has suffered physical or emotional harm due to the use of improper restraints by nursing home staff, you will want to act quickly to protect your loved one’s health and safety. At Nursing Home Injury Center, we can help you address this form of nursing home abuse and make sure your loved one is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. We will work to hold a negligent nursing home responsible for the harm your family has suffered. Contact us today at 309-524-6900 to discuss your situation in a free consultation.