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June 20, 2001 Tories pledge support to NDP bill limiting restraints in Ontario hospitals TORONTO (CP) -- Ontario hospitals will be forced to stop using restraints on agitated elderly patients if a bill introduced Wednesday by the New Democrats passes as expected this fall. The party's health critic, Frances Lankin, has been on a mission to stop the practice since her mother Frances Ollmann, 87, was tied to a bed during a stay at a local hospital. "This will never happen to my mom again. I won't let it," the Toronto politician said after presenting the bill, which has the support of the Tory government. Lankin's mother is sometimes confused, suffering symptoms of dementia not unlike Alzheimer's patients. She also suffers from Parkinson's-like symptoms. Lankin said she has received "hundreds and hundreds" of letters describing similar stories about the use of hospital restraints. "Many families struggled with this issue and now when we get this bill passed in the fall there'll be protection for all of Ontario's seniors," she said. The bill would prohibit the use of restraints unless they prevent serious bodily harm to the patient or another senior or is consented to by the family. Lankin, a former NDP health minister, introduced a similar bill last November but it died when the legislature was prorogued. The new bill was rewritten with the assistance of the health minister and his staff. It has the potential of being applied to long-term care and other health facilities, Lankin said. Health Minister Tony Clement said the government wants to examine it further at committee. "We want it to get to committee so we can take a further look at it to make sure it meets all of the objectives that we think it does," he said. Lankin said restraints are often used because there aren't enough health-care staff. She said it can make patients angry and take away their dignity. "We take the life out of people when we tie them up. It's an assault on human beings." http://www.canoe.ca/OntQueTicker/CANOE-wire.Ont-Hospital-Restraints.html *********** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn