Improper Use of Restraints in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have an important job. These medical facilities are entrusted with promoting the health and emotional well-being of beloved family members, once their needs for assistance or care are too great for their own families to meet. If you’ve helped an older family member or spouse enter an assisted living facility, you probably conducted extensive research on the reputation of the facility, doing your best to make sure that your loved one’s final years would be spent in a pleasant place.
Laws Prohibit the Improper Use of Restraints
Despite hours of research into the facility, your loved one may still become the victim of abuse while living in a nursing home. One of the most common and insidious forms of abuse is the improper use of restraints on nursing home residents. New York has laws against the excessive use of restraints on elderly nursing home patients, and if your loved one has been the victim of improper restraint use, they may have a claim for damages. The Bronx nursing home abuse lawyers at the Kohn Law Firm have years of experience representing victims of improper restraint use. Our attorneys have the knowledge and trial-readiness you need to fight for the money you’re owed by a careless or abusive nursing home. Contact our offices today to find out if you’re a good candidate to file an improper restraints claim in New York.
When Is Restraint Use Permissible?
Under New York law, nursing homes are barred from making improper use of physical or chemical restraints on patients under their care. That said, there are occasions when a patient may need to be restrained, either for the safety of other residents or where ordered by a physician. For example, a nursing home resident who has been intubated after an illness may need to be physically restrained to prevent them from trying to remove the tube. Another patient may be experiencing violent symptoms of dementia and need to be restrained either physically or chemically to prevent them from injuring another resident.
Illegal Restraint Use Can Be Emotionally and Physically Scarring
Sadly, many nursing home staffers use restraints simply as a way of making their jobs easier. They may use chemical restraints such as sedatives to make patients more docile, or physical restraints such as wrist straps or bed rails to keep patients confined to one place.
Not only are restraints used for these reasons illegal and psychologically harmful, but they can also cause physical injuries to patients. Residents may experience chafing, bruising, boils, broken bones, or lacerations from dangerous and inappropriate restraints. Don’t let a callous and negligent nursing home get away with subjecting your beloved family member to this type of mistreatment. Get the damages you deserve while ensuring that future residents aren’t subjected to the same form of abuse by contacting the Bronx elder abuse and nursing home abuse lawyers at the Kohn Law Firm to discuss the possibility of filing a lawsuit.
Bronx Injury Attorney Dedicated to Serving Our Valued and Vulnerable Seniors
If your loved one has been subjected to mistreatment in a New York nursing home through the use of physical restraints or other forms of abuse, contact the knowledgeable, compassionate, and determined Bronx personal injury lawyers at the Kohn Law Firm for a free consultation, at 718-409-1200.
