Resident-to-Resident Physical Abuse in Dining Room
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident was not protected from abuse by another resident in the facility's dining room. According to the facility's Incident Investigation Report and nursing progress notes, one resident wheeled up to a table where another resident was sitting. The seated resident expressed that the other resident kept running into his wheelchair and, in response, struck the other resident on the back of the head with an open hand. Staff and security present in the dining room witnessed the incident, and the event was documented by the nurse on duty and reported to the facility administrator. The facility's Abuse Prevention Program policy defines abuse as any physical or mental injury inflicted upon a resident other than by accidental means. The incident involved physical contact that resulted in harm, which meets the facility's definition of abuse. The report confirms that the residents were separated following the altercation, and the incident was verified by both the administrator and the nurse on duty.