60
In my 2015 Report, I requested the head of the institution to revise the house rules and the protocol
for restrictive measures. The issues listed in the report had been redressed only partially, the newly
drafted house rules contained new deficiencies pointing beyond the old ones. I reiterated my request to
the head of the institution to have the protocol for restrictive measures revised.
The 2015 visit did not find anything “unusual” as regards the frequency of the ad hoc administration of
psychiatric drugs. The expert physician participating in the follow-up inspection established that the
administration of drugs in the institution, “prescribing medication in quantities for specific sets of symptoms was
unacceptable.” The residents sleeping during the day regularly received “Mixtura chloralo-bromata,” a
preparation that had not been in use by the modern psychiatric profession for decades. As a result of
the simultaneous application of strong drugs, some of the residents were strongly sedated, slept
through the day, could not be woken. I requested the head of the institution to immediately revise the
administration of drugs (simultaneous application of drugs with similar effect) and to stop using the
bromide, long abandoned by modern psychiatry. The interviews with the residents suggest that they did
not know what drugs they had been taking. There was no conjugal room in the institution; therefore, I
asked the head of the institution to designate a room that could be used by the residents, even if not in
conjugal community, to get intimate with one another. I requested the head of the institution to take
the necessary measures in order to brief the residents, in a way understandable to them, on their illness
and the drugs they take, including the use of contraceptives.
Since 2015, the outside programs, joint field trips had become less frequent; the residents had not taken
part in such activities for more than six months. Therefore, I requested the head of the institution to
organize various programs, field trips for the residents. I pointed out to the staff members of the
institution that being allowed to decide what to wear would be a positive experience for the residents. I
asked the head of the institution to involve the residents in deciding on their attire for the day. In his
response, the head of the institution informed me that they were trying to teach the residents to select
clothes appropriate for the season and the outside weather.
There was no complaint box in the institution. I requested the head of the institution to have a
complaint box installed to provide the residents and their relatives with the opportunity to lodge their
complaints about the circumstances in the institution anonymously.
In my 2015 Report, I requested the supervisory authority to facilitate the residents’ reintegration into
mainstream society. I requested the supervisory authority to take measures in order to make those
community-based services available to persons living with disabilities leaving the institution that would
allow them to receive appropriate care near their homes. The follow-up inspection established that the
management had neither supported the residents’ transfer to residential homes nor provided
appropriate assistance to their starting a more independent life. I suggested that the head of the
institution, in accordance with Article 19 of the CRPD, should support the residents in creating a more
independent life, including, in particular, their transfer to in-home support and reintegration into
mainstream society.
The follow-up visit established that the institution and its supervisory authority had implemented most
of the recommendations made in the 2015 Report. According to the management, the failure of their
full implementation is the result of the change in the supervisory authority. In my opinion, neither the
change in the supervisory authority nor the return to the original premises provides an adequate
explanation for the fact that most of the improprieties found in 2015 still existed, some of them had
even become more serious.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents