(a) Each resident shall be free from actual or threatened physical restraints, isolation, or restrictions on mobility within or outside the facility grounds, including the use of drugs to limit mobility, except to the minimum extent necessary to protect the resident from immediate injury to the resident or to others. In no event shall restraints, restrictions, or isolation be used for punishment, incentive, behavior conditioning or modification, or for the convenience of the facility.
(b) Restraints, restrictions, or isolation shall be used only subject to the following conditions:
(1) Prior to authorizing restraints, restrictions, or isolation, the attending physician shall make a personal examination and individualized determination of the need to use such restraints, restriction, or isolation on that resident and shall specify a reasonable time for such use. No restraint, restriction, or isolation shall be used by the facility longer than 65 days for intermediate care residents and longer than 35 days for skilled nursing residents, except by reorder of the attending physician after personal examination of the resident. Irrespective of such time period specified, restraints, restrictions, or isolation shall not be used beyond the period of actual need;
(2) In an emergency situation, restraints, restrictions, or isolation shall be authorized by the person in charge only to protect the resident from immediate injury to the resident or others and shall not be continued for more than 12 hours after the onset of the emergency without personal examination and authorization by the attending physician;
(3) The resident and a person designated by the resident, if any, shall be informed immediately of the need for the use of restraint, restriction, or isolation, the reasons for such use, and the time the physician has specified for such use. Such information shall be recorded in the resident's file;
(4) A restrained or isolated resident shall be monitored by the staff at least every hour and released and exercised at least every two hours, except during normal sleeping hours; and
(5) When a restraint, restriction, or isolation is used under this Code section, the resident shall retain all rights enumerated in this article.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.