There are 2.5 million hospital and nursing home beds in use in the United States. In the 15 year period between 1985 and 2010, there were 803 incidents of patients or residents becoming caught, trapped, entangled, or strangled in beds with rails. Of these reports, 480 people died, 138 had a nonfatal injury, and 185 were not injured because staff intervened. In today’s episode, nursing home abuse attorneys Rob Schenk and Will Smith discuss the dangers of bedrails with Robyn Grant, the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care.
In her capacity as Director of Consumer Voice, she is responsible for the leading development and implementation of the Consumer Voice’s public policy agenda and growing support for the grassroots network of advocacy for nursing home residents. She has a Master’s in social work with a specialization in aging, and was an Indiana State Long-Term Care Ombudsman for eight years and president of the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs for two years.