Amazon promises to stop selling 'dementia restraint' products

Amazon has pledged to stop selling products described as 'dementia restraints' after charities and care organisations condemned it as "shocking".

Care home activities coordinator, Chrissi Dunn, exposed the online retailer in a petition on change.org, saying: "As an activities coordinator I have worked with many patients with dementia. People with dementia should not be restrained in any way."

She added: "Amazon sell a whole range of restraints to the general pubic. Even health professionals have strict guidlines on using them. They should not be made available to the public."

In the wake of the petition and condemnation from charities, a ‘straitjacket’ has now been removed by Amazon and it has promised to stop selling 'restraints' for people with dementia.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK called it "shocking" and said: "Using equipment to restrain people with dementia is rarely justified and only ever under the care and supervision of specialists where they may be a risk of harm to themselves or others and as an absolute last resort.”

She added: “In many circumstances, challenging behaviour, often arising from distress, is made significantly worse by the restraint. Where they are used, we would also expect the strictest of safeguards and oversight.

“There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for making this extreme form of such equipment – where people are physically restrained – available to the public and advertised specifically for people with dementia.”

Chrissi Dunn has updated the petition saying: 'Amazon have listened to the concerns regarding the sale of restraints for use on people with dementia. I am relieved to say they they are removing these items.'