[blindlaw] Hospital "fall risk" policies for blind/visually impaired patients

Keri Svendsen keribcu at gmail.com
Mon Apr 10 22:23:10 UTC 2017


This sounds like an obvious case of discrimination to me.


On 4/10/2017 4:53 PM, Andrew Webb via BlindLaw wrote:
> Hello,
>
>   
>
> Has anyone here had experience addressing (from the legal standpoint) a
> hospital's policy requiring that a blind patient be automatically classified
> as a fall risk upon admission?  Client is legally blind, generally healthy,
> exercises vigorously, and has excellent travel and cane skills. Client was
> recently admitted to hospital for observation, and was required to wear a
> bright yellow bracelet labled "fall risk" throughout the stay. Client was
> forbidden from standing up from bed without a nurse present, and even
> required to have a nurse present in the bathroom when client went to
> relieve, etc. (Nurse was partitioned only by a hanging plastic sheet within
> the bathroom, in order to afford client some "privacy." Client describes the
> experience as similar to a dog relieving while being watched by the master.
> Client protested the policy throughout the stay, but nurss and hospital
> administrators were absolutely inflexible. There was no other basis
> (medications, other conditions, etc.) on which to classify client as a fall
> risk, and hospital cited no basis other than blindness for the
> classification.
>
>   
>
>   
>
> I have yet to dig into the case law, or visit the DOJ website in search of
> relevant consent decrees, etc.  Just wondered if anybody had any direct
> experience here, could offer any comments or relevant resources/authorities.
>
>   
>
> Thanks,
>
> Andrew
>
>   
>
>
>
> ---
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-- 
Keri Svendsen





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