Sec. 2-106. Restraints.

663 words·~3 min read·/il/chapter-210/act-45/2-106

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)For purposes of this Act, a physical restraint is any manual method or physical or mechanical device, material, or equipment attached or adjacent to a resident's body that the resident cannot remove easily and restricts freedom of movement or normal access to one's body, and a chemical restraint is any drug used for discipline or convenience and not required to treat medical symptoms.

Devices used for positioning, including, but not limited to, bed rails and gait belts, shall not be considered to be physical restraints for purposes of this Act unless the device is used to restrain or otherwise limit the patient's freedom to move. A device used for positioning must be requested by the resident or, if the resident is unable to consent, the resident's guardian or authorized representative, or the need for that device must be physically demonstrated by the resident and documented in the resident's care plan. The physically demonstrated need of the resident for a device used for positioning must be revisited in every comprehensive assessment of the resident.

The Department shall by rule, designate certain devices as restraints, including at least all those devices which have been determined to be restraints by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in interpretive guidelines issued for the purposes of administering Titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act.

(b)Neither restraints nor confinements shall be employed for the purpose of punishment or for the convenience of any facility personnel. No restraints or confinements shall be employed except as ordered by a physician who documents the need for such restraints or confinements in the resident's clinical record.

(c)A restraint may be used only with the informed consent of the resident, the resident's guardian, or other authorized representative. A restraint may be used only for specific periods, if it is the least restrictive means necessary to attain and maintain the resident's highest practicable physical, mental or psychosocial well-being, including brief periods of time to provide necessary life-saving treatment. A restraint may be used only after consultation with appropriate health professionals, such as occupational or physical therapists, and a trial of less restrictive measures has led to the determination that the use of less restrictive measures would not attain or maintain the resident's highest practicable physical, mental or psychosocial well-being. However, if the resident needs emergency care, restraints may be used for brief periods to permit medical treatment to proceed unless the facility has notice that the resident has previously made a valid refusal of the treatment in question.

(d)A restraint may be applied only by a person trained in the application of the particular type of restraint.

(e)Whenever a period of use of a restraint is initiated, the resident shall be advised of his or her right to have a person or organization of his or her choosing, including the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, notified of the use of the restraint. A recipient who is under guardianship may request that a person or organization of his or her choosing be notified of the restraint, whether or not the guardian approves the notice. If the resident so chooses, the facility shall make the notification within 24 hours, including any information about the period of time that the restraint is to be used. Whenever the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission is notified that a resident has been restrained, it shall contact the resident to determine the circumstances of the restraint and whether further action is warranted.

(f)Whenever a restraint is used on a resident whose primary mode of communication is sign language, the resident shall be permitted to have his or her hands free from restraint for brief periods each hour, except when this freedom may result in physical harm to the resident or others.

(g)The requirements of this Section are intended to control in any conflict with the requirements of Sections 1-126 and 2-108 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code.