Wheelchair patient denied wheelchair in nursing home. Motorized chairs not allowed. Is this legal?

I would be very surprised if there were some kind of law that said nursing homes had to allow motorized wheelchairs. I have never seen one in a nursing home, and it's not hard to understand how a few motorized wheelchairs amidst old people would be a serious hazard and open up a NH to a BIG liability problem.

If the mechanical wheelchair they are providing isn't working well enough, then use her funds or family's funds to purchase one that will. They are available on line and can be shipped directly to the NH.

A nursing home in my area had a fire caused by a power chair battery. So here in NY, the DOH is cracking down on, demanding properly maintained chairs with regular inspections and specific safety equipment. The owner must also pass a "road test" with the PT department.

I have to say I sympathize with the facilities, ironically many are just not designed to accommodate the needs of the people who are supposed to be living there. I suppose the architects must have imagined everyone walking unaided and then quietly slipping away after a few weeks of being totally bed bound (like the people we see in all those commercials for AL's lol), but the reality is a virtual traffic jam of walkers and wheelchairs often being propelled by people who don't have the wherewithal to yield to anyone else and all of them frail and vulnerable.

You must call them and ask that Laurence, this is an international forum of caregivers and the likelihood of anyone here knowing the answer is very small.

The Assisted Living facility where my Dad had lived, I never saw a motorized wheelchair or scooter.

And I can understand why..... I've seen my Dad wheel a shopping cart in the grocery store, no way would I want him to try to drive a motorized wheelchair/scooter in a home where elders live.

How many incidents would be your cut-off point, just out of interest? And what policy would you put in place to ensure that residents made certain they were having a good day before they set out?

But I am sorry that your mother is being isolated as a result of losing her chair; and I would be pushing the facility on this point. If a resident cannot move around unaided she must be assisted - it isn't acceptable for her to be left shut away in her room.

Have you spoken with the administration about this? Have you looked for another facility?

Patients generally aren't allowed to bring assistive devices from home because of liability issues, but this should have been told to you and alternate, acceptable arrangements made at the time of admission.

If this has been going on for 4 years without resolution, have you thought about looking elsewhere? And if you do, be sure to address the motorized wheelchair issue.

Maggie, I haven't been in a lot of nursing homes, mostly the one my mother is at, but there are many kinds of motorized wheelchairs/mobility devices there. My mother's room mate has one. My mother could not use one, so I've never questioned what the rules are. But I can say that at least one nh in Minnesota allows motorized mobility devices. :)

In my mom NH in Connecticut, there are several patients with motorized scooters and chairs.

I would have a meeting with the facility social worker and ask for clarification. If she says it's a state reg, ask to be shown the reg. Find out if what is actually going on is that the staff thinks she lacks the cognitive capacity to use one safely.

You can request that the Nursing Home ombudsman in your area get involved in this.

I'm in the same boat. My mother recently had hers taken away after one incident. There was much pushback from the get-go. Had to go through rigorous testing at Struthers Parkinson's Institute for her to get approved. One incident and they said she can never drive it anywhere on the campus again. I have requested a copy of the "incident" as well as their policy. I feel like she is being discriminated against. With Parkinson's, one has good days and bad days. She is especially weak when she is dehydrated. Recently the Asst Liv staff sent her to the ER twice due to weakness and delirium and all they could find was dehydration. They told her that her blood was like that of a 20 year old but that she was dehydrated. I'm disgusted. Now she's back to sitting in her room all day, lonely and isolated.