Do physical and chemical restraints prevent injuries from falls in nursing homes?
Studies have shown that the routine use of restraints do not necessarily reduce the risk of falls and fall injuries in nursing homes. Restraints limit a resident’s freedom of movement. In addition to the psychological harm inflicted on a resident by restraining him or her, long term use of restraints leads to muscle weakness and further physical deterioration. Federal regulations put in place in 1990 require nursing homes to use restraints only as last resort. Since those regulations went into place most nursing homes have seen a decrease in fall related injuries. Before using restraints, the nursing home should exhaust all other options and interventions. What are the risk factors for nursing home falls? Nursing homes are required to assess patients to determine if they are at risk for falling and to develop a care plan to prevent the patient from falling. Risk factors include: • Weakness and muscle fatigue • Balance disorders • Arthritis • Medications including anti-depressants, seda
