In July, the state health department sent a bulletin to the state's 440 nursing homes about siderail use. The eight-page bulletin devoted one paragraph to the possible dangers in siderail design, saying it was up to nursing homes to evaluate whether beds and siderails could be deadly. The industry's awareness should have been there. Better nursing practices, better beds and better siderails could help prevent siderail fatalities, professionals say. We don't want to make them the norm of care.
Several studies show that more injuries in nursing homes happen when siderails are raised.
Simply helping older residents get to the bathroom more often at night is a big part of the solution, say nurses and other caregivers who have studied this issue. Many siderail problems happen when people are trying to get out of bed, usually to use the bathroom. Many bed manufacturers are coming out with beds that can be lowered nearly to the floor, which could be easier for residents to use and a lesser threat in case of falls. Simmons Healthcare, a Georgia bed manufacturer, recently came out with beds that can be raised or lowered nearly to the floor. The company has models that can be operated by hand or with electrical mechanisms, said Wayne Coleman, Simmons executive vice president.