In its response to the preliminary report, the retirement home stated that written instructions on the takeover, preparation, administration, and application of drugs had been adopted, and detailed the mandatory definitions which are required when prescribing drug therapy. General practitioners and psychiatrists had been briefed on these instructions. In light of the deviations established during the NPM’s visit, competent providers will again be warned about the necessity of determining the time frame when prescribing drugs to be administered if needed. d) Activities In 2016, the NPM made thematic visits to selected psychiatric hospitals and social care institutions and established that the number of activities which were available to patients or residents at the weekend had decreased. It was further established that the weekend was often not even mentioned in the list of activities. During our visits in 2017, we found similar individual cases and accordingly made appropriate recommendations. In addition to the examples below, we made similar recommendations during our visits to Ljutomer Retirement Home, Sv. Martin Retirement Home in Srednja vas v Bohinju, and Horjul Retirement Home. • During our visit to Dom Viharnik Kranjska Gora, it was recommended that the schedule of activities for residents with dementia be updated with activities which are implemented at the weekend. In its response to the preliminary report, the retirement home stated that the schedule of activities had been updated with such activities. • The NPM recommended that Idrija Retirement Home place even greater emphasis on active leisure time of residents, especially in the afternoon and during the weekend. The residents should not be left to their own devices during this time or left waiting for (possible) visits, even though these are not lacking, according to the staff. The task of the staff should not only be to provide appropriate aids for activities or to organise such activities, but also to motivate the residents to partake in the activities. In its response to the preliminary report, the retirement home stated that it agreed that all residents, and especially residents of secure departments, should be given the opportunity for active leisure time with a broad range of activities and motivated to engage in such activities. The retirement home emphasised that a special work programme and work content in the secure department focused on this matter. e) Use of (special) precautionary measures Even though the NPM has established that retirement homes rarely use special precautionary measures (SPM) as defined by the ZDZdr, our visits in 2017 showed that a number of retirement homes use a special belt for residents who are in their wheelchair during the day. The belt prevents the resident from slipping out of or getting up from the wheelchair and consequently falling. As the NPM believes that, if the wheelchair and the resident are restricted and the resident cannot remove the restriction independently this constitutes SPM, a corresponding recommendation was made to a number of retirement homes. A similar recommendation to that provided below was also made during the visit to the Kidričevo Unit of Ptuj Retirement Home, Ljutomer Retirement Home, Idrija Retirement Home, Fužine Retirement Home, Dr Jože Potrč Retirement Home in Poljčane, Dr Janko Benedik Retirement Home in Radovljica, and the Juršinci Unit of Ptuj Retirement Home. • In light of the expert’s findings, the NPM recommended to Gornja Radgona Retirement Home that if a resident was unable to give their consent for the use of the belt preventing them from slipping from the wheelchair and that such a danger exists, it would be sensible to include a general practitioner and the family members or guardian in deciding on the use of this belt. If the risk exists for the resident to fall from the wheelchair due to their behaviour resulting from a mental disorder, and the risk of falling cannot be prevented with any other form of help, such restraints must be administered to by observing the rules that apply to SPM. 52 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE NPM IN 2017 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT