Disability Rights California confirmed a pattern of excessive and abusive restraint practices at a large locked nursing home serving individuals with psychiatric disabilities.  Most of the residents lacked insight into their serious condition and were placed at the facility by publicly appointed conservators or the courts.  Several years earlier, Disability Rights California had negotiated an access agreement with the facility’s corporate entity when denied access to records and residents after receiving numerous reports and then witnessing incidents of resident abuse. 

Disability Rights California have investigated squalid conditions at a number of unlicensed room and board homes serving adults with psychiatric disabilities across the state.  One provider in San Bernardino County was housing residents with psychiatric disabilities in chicken coops which had been converted into barracks-style housing.  Residents were using buckets as toilets.  Meals, cooked in a makeshift open-air “M.A.S.H. type” kitchen, were served to residents on outdoor picnic tables, rain or shine. 

DRC’s IU staff monitored the use of restraint and seclusion practices, as well as the pattern of aggressive acts and serious incidents, at state hospitals.  DRC reviewed and analyzed data pertaining to: the use of restraint and seclusion on patients; restraint/seclusion related injuries to staff and patients; injuries to patients and staff from patient aggressive acts; restraint or seclusion injuries or deaths reported to DRC; and other serious incidents suggestive of criminal abuse reported to DRC (unexpected/suspicious deaths, sexual assault allegations involving staff, physical abuse reported by staff that was in turn reported to local law enforcement).  

This report lists our findings about licensing citations when people die in nursing homes. We found that licensing gave lower fines when staff contributed to the deaths.

This report tells you about 12 cases of physical and sexual abuse. The people lived in nursing homes. The abuse was by staff. DRC looked at how the abuse response and criminal justice systems handled the cases. The report has our findings and suggestions.

Prone restraint is dangerous. This report talks about the dangers. It asks people to stop using it. We want to make people safer.

This report talks about how people with disabilities have a higher chance of being victims of abuse. The report explains why this problem is a challenge for the whole state.

This report talks about the risks of drugs to treat mental health disabilities. These drugs can be dangerous. When doctors give several at the same time, they are very dangerous. We ask doctors to put safeguards in place to protect patients.

The report looks at how the Department of Developmental Services responded to cases of abuse. This report talks about people who had injuries to their private parts and gives the reader details on what happened in each case.

This report talks about seclusion and restraint in schools. It talks about needed changes. We want seclusion stopped. We want restraint used only when necessary. We want agencies to make sure schools use them correctly.

This report describes what happened when a hospital ignored a patient’s treatment wishes. When the patient was unconscious, they stopped his treatment. As a result, he died. The pub gives options for handling this kind of situation in the future.