orthopedic braces used to assist patients to achieve proper body position and balance." 22 CCR § 77021. A "geri-chair" (referring to its origin of use among the "geriatric" or elderly population), which was used improperly upon Levesque, is a chair-like postural support device with a desktop surface that can be locked at the waist. Geri-chairs and other postural supports, such as "posey vests" (i.e., cloth vests with several ties that can be used to help position a person in a chair or bed), are properly used, for example, to assist persons recovering from traumatic injuries, such as a stroke, as part of a rehabilitation plan to help them achieve proper body alignment or a change in positioning. However, the misuse of postural supports as physical or "behavioral" restraint devices, especially upon elderly persons in nursing homes, is as is the resultant harm. See, e.g., Steven H. Miles, M.D., and Patrick Irvine, M.D., "Deaths Caused by Physical Restraints," The Gerontologist, 1992, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 762-766. In an attempt to prevent such misuse and harm upon persons who receive mental health services in psychiatric health facilities, existing regulations require that postural supports, including "geri-chairs," only be "applied . . . [u]nder the supervision of a physical or occupational therapist" for the purpose of "improv[ing] a patient's mobility and independent functioning." See, 22 CCR §§ 77104(a), (b), (c).
orthopedic braces used to assist patients to achieve proper body position and balance." 22 CCR § 77021. A "geri-chair" (referring to its origin of use among the "geriatric" or elderly population), which was used improperly upon Levesque, is a chair-like postural support device with a desktop surface that can be locked at the waist. Geri-chairs and other postural supports, such as "posey vests" (i.e., cloth vests with several ties that can be used to help position a person in a chair or bed), are properly used, for example, to assist persons recovering from traumatic injuries, such as a stroke, as part of a rehabilitation plan to help them achieve proper body alignment or a change in positioning. However, the misuse of postural supports as physical or "behavioral" restraint devices, especially upon elderly persons in nursing homes, is as is the resultant harm. See, e.g., Steven H. Miles, M.D., and Patrick Irvine, M.D., "Deaths Caused by Physical Restraints," The Gerontologist, 1992, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 762-766. In an attempt to prevent such misuse and harm upon persons who receive mental health services in psychiatric health facilities, existing regulations require that postural supports, including "geri-chairs," only be "applied . . . [u]nder the supervision of a physical or occupational therapist" for the purpose of "improv[ing] a patient's mobility and independent functioning." See, 22 CCR §§ 77104(a), (b), (c).