James Ridley and Serena Jones explain why staff should avoid restraining older people with learning disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviour

Longer life expectancy is associated with a higher risk of dementia and associated behaviours, many of which can be difficult to manage and lead care staff to apply restraint. As this article makes clear, care staff should adopt non-restrictive practices when possible, and should use the minimum of restraint only after scrupulous and continuous assessments of service users’ physical and mental health needs. By adopting a human rights-based approach to care, meanwhile, staff can reduce the incidence of inappropriate restraint.