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How Will I Know If My Loved One Is Being Abused By Restraints In A Nursing Home? What Should I Look For?

Nursing homes might use physical restraints or chemical restraints to restrict a resident’s ability to move or use his or her body. Sadly, the use of restraints is often done by nursing home workers who are overworked and don’t have time to care for each resident or by staff members who want to purposely abuse residents. With either type of restraint—physical and chemical—it can be considered abuse.

It is typically easier to spot physical restraint abuse over chemical restraint abuse; however, here is a list of what to look out for regarding each type of restraint.

Physical Restraints include:

  • Ropes or soft ties
  • Straight-jackets
  • Hand mitts
  • Arm restraints
  • Leg restraints
  • Too tight of sheets to prevent movement
  • Placement of bedrails or safety bars so patients cannot get out of bed
  • Placement of belts and trays so residents cannot get out of their wheelchairs

Chemical Restraints include:

  • Overuse of sedative drugs
  • Overuse of anti-psychotic medications
  • Overuse of anti-seizure drugs
  • Overuse of other psychotropic drugs

When visiting your loved one in his or her nursing home, it will be easier to spot physical restraints. However, sometimes you might not see the physical restraints being used at the time of your visit, which is why you should also look at your loved one’s arms and legs for bruising, sores, and rope marks.

Noticing chemical restraint abuse in Florida nursing homes might be more difficult; however, you should be able to tell if your loved one seems drugged. If that’s the case, you can ask to see their charts to determine what medication he or she was given.

If you believe your loved one is a victim of restraint abuse, you should contact an experienced Florida nursing home abuse lawyer today. You can reach the Law Offices of David Benenfeld for a free consultation at 954-677-0155.

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