Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Using a Real-Time Locating System to Measure Walking Activity Associated with Wandering Behaviors Among Institutionalized Older Adults
Published on: February 8, 2019
Physical restraint use and falls in nursing homes: a comparison between residents with and without dementia
Huabin Luo1, Michael Lin, Nicholas Castle
1Department of Health Care Management, Mount Olive College, NC, USA. hluo@moc.edu
Aims:
To estimate the use of different types of physical restraints and assess their associations to falls and injuries among residents with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia in US nursing homes.
Methods:
Data were from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey. AD or dementia was identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. Analyses were conducted with the Surveyfreq and Surveylogistic procedures in SAS v.9.1.
Results:
Residents with either AD or dementia were more likely to be physically restrained (9.99% vs 3.91%, P < .001) and less likely to have bed rails (35.06% vs 38.43%, P < .001) than those residents without the disease. The use of trunk restraints was associated with higher risk for falls (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.66, P < .001) and fractures (AOR = 2.77, P < .01) among residents with the disease. The use of full bed rails was associated with lower risk for falls among residents with and without the disease (AOR = 0.67 and AOR = 0.72, Ps < .05, respectively).
Conclusions:
The use of a trunk restraint is associated with a higher risk for falls and fractures among residents with either AD or dementia.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual.
Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Restorative Care
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Dementia l: Introduction

