Arizona Disability Advocates for Physical Restraint Abuse

Many residential group homes make physical restraint devices such as wrist and ankle restraints and chest vests available to their staff for use in emergency situations in which a resident presents immediate physical harm to himself or others. In addition, group home workers are often trained in manual physical restraint techniques to control residents in emergency situations.

While the use of physical restraints – both mechanical and manual – can help prevent a resident from causing harm to himself or someone else, they should only be used in those rare instances in which the threat of physical harm is imminent and the use of physical restraint is the last resort. The use of physical restraint is something that rarely, if ever, should happen in a residential group home setting. When overused or used improperly, physical restraints are dangerous, humiliating, and do not promote a high quality of life, which should always be the primary goal of group home workers for their residents.

Physical restraints should never be routinely used or used for the convenience of staff members. In addition, when physical restraints are used in an emergency situation, they should only be administered by staff members who have been trained to administer them properly and safely.

If your loved one has been harmed by the overuse or improper use of physical restraints in a residential group home in Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa or elsewhere in Maricopa County, you should contact an Arizona group home abuse lawyer to discuss your case.

Types of Physical Restraint

Physical restraints, as distinguished from chemical restraints such as medication and tranquilizers, are usually broken down into two categories:

Mechanical Restraints – Mechanical physical restraints include the use of any device to restrain movement. This can include wrist and ankle restraints, chest vests, tie downs, calming blankets, and body carriers.

Manual Restraints – Also sometimes referred to as “therapeutic holding”, manual restraints involve one or more staff members using their bodies to restrain the movement of a patient. There are specific types of holds that should be used for manual restraint, and any staff member employing manual restraint should be properly trained in these techniques.

Overuse and Improper Use of Physical Restraints

Physical restraints present two large dangers for group home residents. The first is overuse of the restraints. As mentioned earlier, physical restraints are only to be used in emergency situations to prevent immediate physical danger. However many published reports have established that many residential group homes have a pattern of routinely using physical restraints to control behavior. This is often the result of improperly trained staff who see physical restraint as the easiest solution. The use of physical restraints is unacceptable and always considered abuse, even if it does no obvious physical harm to the resident.

The other danger is improper use of physical restraints. Even when physical restraints are legitimately employed in emergency situations, they should only be used by staff members who are properly trained to administer them safely. Improper administration of restraints can lead to severe injuries and even death.

Contact an Arizona Group Home Abuse Lawyer

If you suspect that abusive use of physical restraints may be taking place in your loved one’s group home in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale or elsewhere in Maricopa County, it is best to consult with an Arizona group home abuse lawyer to discuss your case. For more information, please visit http://www.grouphomeabuselawyer.com/