Sometimes, traditional wheelchairs are used as restraint chairs on wheels to move uncooperative service recipients from place to place. This can be deadly.
In my experience, I was physically held in a wheelchair to be moved from unit to unit when I refused the transfer. From the struggle that occurred during the incident, I ended up on the floor underneath the wheelchair in a position where my diaphragm could not easily expand and breathing was difficult. This can cause positional asphyxia and people can die this way.
I also witnessed staff strap a child into a wheelchair with restraints and move them to the Quiet Room. As a result of the struggle that ensued, the child ended up in an upside-down position with the restraints wrapped around the child’s neck. This can cause strangulation.
Rather than using makeshift restraints (I.e. Traditional wheelchairs), we need to purchase “real” restraint chairs with wheels and use safe and appropriate ways of moving uncooperative service recipients from place to place.
