What are the rules about seat belts with wheelchair?

I believe that seat belts in wheelchairs are considered "restraints" and thus not allowed.

There are various kinds of wheelchair cushions that might help in this situation. OT are usually the folks who know about adaptive gadgets, so contact the therapy department and get them working on this problem.

That restrictionist not unusual. What's UNUSUAL is that she fell twice. What is WRONG with those people?

She needs to be in a facility that uses the large dining room as. Common room all day long. Large flat screen, like 60", on wall. Then wheeled to the table with a bird'seye view of the screen and wheelchair wheels LOCKED.

Move her if they can't accommodate that need. Sorry, no more moving on her own.

I have seen a tray used that fits over the arms, much the same way a high chair tray fits. Perhaps they can do something like that. I found many options doing a Google search, but the facility probably has some.

Just had this happen. My Daughter works rehab-longterm facility. Mom was in a wheelchair with a belt that was loosly buckled. There was a big red button with "press me". Daughter said this is legal as long as the patient can unbuckle it. Now they have Mom in a chair that the back can be slanted making it hard to get out.

Reading all these posts really hits home with me...My husband is in a Memory Care unit and is constantly trying to get out of his chair and/or bed and has fallen way too many times...He's also under the care of Hospice and they have tried every type of wheel chair possible and he still manages to slide out...Just this past week, I've been told, it's a state law, here in Pa. that prohibits any type of restraints and that includes the alarms on the bed as well as on the wheel chair...Last night, I got another call, saying he had tried to stand and once again fell...What is the answer??? There are safe restraints and I for 1 would want them to be used but the Homes aren't allowed...We buckle up the babies, we use seat belts but for the elderly, just let them keep falling and getting injured more and more...This makes no sense!

I had this situation with my Mom. I BEGGED the memory care place to do something so she wouldn't fall. Like most states, there is a no restraint law here. BUT they did (finally) agree to install a lap belt. They followed some permissible rule and showed my Mom how to open the seat belt. Then someone watched her open it and signed a statement that she could open it upon someone telling her to do so. Following this, they put a sweater on her lap to cover the seat belt. This (mostly) worked and she soon forgot how to open it --- things were peaceful after that! : - ))

From my observation the alarms are mostly useless, those who need them are moving and setting them off almost constantly so they tend to be ignored, and if someone does actually fall the alarm will only bring help after the fact.
Does he have a tilt in place wheelchair Irishgram? That coupled with freqflyer's pillow idea and asking that he be kept by the nurses station might help.

Irishgram, when my Mom was in long-term-care, she kept trying to escape from her wheelchair, thus falling. The facility even tried using a regular car seat-belt, but within seconds they heard the familiar sound of a seat-belt being unbuckled.

Eventually what did work, and you can try this with your hubby is to have the nurse/aide place a large pillow under hubby's knees if he is in a geri-recliner [don't know if that would work in a wheelchair]. That worked for my Mom until she was able to wiggle that pillow out from under her knees, it took a long bit of time, but it did give the Staff some relief for awhile.

My Mom's brain thought she could stand and walk, but in reality she couldn't. Again, a lot of falls. Her bed was lowered and fall mats were placed. Ok, she did fall, but not as far. Again pillows came to the rescue. The nurse/aide would tuck pillows in all around Mom which made it quite difficult for her to climb out of bed. Only problem, Mom wasn't able to turn over. Rather have the pillows then her falling.

If there were bed railings, my Mom would be the one who would get her legs all tangled up in the rails, or her head caught between the mattress and the bed rail. Both would be dangerous and even fatal.

Back in the olden days, patients with memory issues were placed in asylums, and at times would be chained to their beds for what the staff was for the patient's own safety. Now a days, that is viewed as being cruel. There seems to be no inbetweens.

You have no idea how much I appreciate the answers and hopefully some help might be forthcoming...I can see how some restraints can be dangerous but even if a simple pillow, the alarms on the chairs or bed or as in my husband's case, that little saddle horn on the cushion has to help prevent so many falls...I sometimes wonder who in the world comes up with these laws! Hospice has made sure my husband has a rocker type chair that is tilted back to make it harder to get of by he's found a way, lol and also, he does have a hospital bed that is lowered and a mat on the floor...And I have noticed, they have gotten what looks like bumper pads that fit around the edges to keep him in bed but I'll bet they'll have to remove that also... Something has to be done to keep these people safe and I have a feeling, my "fight" has just begun....Thanks again for answering.....

Seatbelts in wheelchairs do not go across the body. They can be used in the state of NJ but...the person has to be able to get out so it's not considered a restraint. They are shown the red button they can push to release the seatbelt. Since Mom kept trying to get out of a wheelchair the home gave her a chair with wheels that looked like a beach chair. The seat could be slanted back to keep Mom from being able to get out.