47% Of Caregivers Report Use Of Physical Restraints In Home Care For Loved Ones With Dementia

A full 47% of caregivers report that they use physical restraints in home care for loved ones with dementia. Caregivers who had strong emotional support from friends were less likely to report using restraints, while caregivers with higher psychological distress, or who had other caregiving responsibilities, were more likely to report restraint use.

The most common types of restraints reported included belts or sheet ties (56%), locked geriatric chairs with fixed tray tables (35%), hand mittens (31%), and ankle or wrist ties (25%). The most common reasons for using these items were: safety (protection from falls and preventing wandering), preventing . . .