We are currently looking at nursing homes for my mother who has Alzheimer's. The home that we like the best has one policy that I'm unsure of. Anytime a resident in their Alzheimer's wing is in their bedroom the bedroom door is locked from the outside. My fear is that my mom will panic if she can't get out of her bedroom. I also worry about the safety aspect. Do other dementia nursing homes do this? Is it legal in Michigan?
If the patient is aggressive and assaultive, certainly, seclude them to protect the other patients until they are calmed down, the hallucination is over and the meds have kicked in. But to lock them in as a matter of policy sounds more like a correctional facility.
involves separation of a resident from other residents or from his or
her room against the resident's will, or the will of the resident's legal
representative. Emergency or short term monitored separation
from other residents is not considered involuntary seclusion and is
permitted if used for a limited period of time as a therapeutic
intervention to reduce agitation until professional staff can develop
a plan of care to meet the resident's needs."
I would contact various other homes and ask about their policies.
I don't think it's wise to lock someone in his/her room. Whether it's legal or not, it creates an escape issue if a fire breaks out. I can't imagine any fire department would approve of such an arrangement, so if it exists, it may be in violation of fire safety laws.
PM me if you like with the name of this place and I can tell you if I know anything about it. I wouldn't write anything publicly, however, because of liability issues.
There are a couple that definitely should be avoided. One in particular has the reputation of taking in residents who don't come out alive. The conditions there are terrible.
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