Father in SNF on PEG tube and incontinent. The only independence he had left was to get himself in and out of bed into his wheelchair. He would use the only bedrail (12 inches positioned vertically) to help in this transfer. Now there is nothing stationary that he can grasp for support. I know bed rails cannot be used for restraint and that they are sometimes a problem with seniors getting caught in them and risk of suffocation. But is there really a new 2016 ordinance that says they all need to be removed? Now my father is bed bound unless he calls for assistance (which he will not do) when he wants to get out of bed.
I really suggest that if you think this matters to your dad, that you make some time to help him make the point to the nursing home. I've worked in direct care support for years, and helping a person continue to do whatever it is they can, is a major part of motivation that helps them keep going as strong as they can - and with dignity, not always lying there waiting for busy help to come.
There can not be more than 3 short bed rails on a bed in a facility.
If the bed rails go the full length of the bed that is considered a restraint.
They can use 1 long one or short ones and wedges.
It is not a matter of suffocating it is "restraining" someone within the bed.
I think the type you are talking about should be permitted.
I think it might be worth it to ask to see how the code is written and how they are interpreting the code.
(Anytime someone says there is a code and it somehow effects you you have every right to see that code and how it is written.)
And I am sure that you can get a Doctor's order that would over ride the interpretation they have.
Good luck and keep us posted...
In terms of casualties-per-person using (and benefiting from) a bedrail, though, accidents have been vanishingly rare (thank goodness); and when you go on to read the details of a particular incident the cause of the accident is not usually the bed rail per se. The cause is usually somebody, or several people, doing something monumentally stupid and dangerous; such as continuing to use a bed rail that is faulty and requires maintenance; or using a bed rail that doesn't properly fit the bed it's attached to, so that there is a head-sized gap between the bottom edge and the mattress.
Since you can't cure stupid, some authorities have chosen to cure bed rails instead. I find it frustrating. Competent, responsible professionals in the care services industry must find it absolutely maddening.
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