Failure to Prevent Resident-to-Resident Altercations Due to Inadequate Supervision
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement adequate supervision and processes on the secured dementia unit to prevent multiple avoidable incidents of resident-to-resident physical altercations among cognitively impaired residents with aggressive behaviors. Over a period of several weeks, numerous residents with severe to moderate cognitive impairment and behavioral disturbances were involved in repeated physical altercations, including hitting, scratching, and grabbing, resulting in injuries such as skin tears, scratches, and emotional distress. These incidents occurred in various locations within the secured unit, including hallways, resident rooms, the dining room, and the activity room, often without staff present to intervene or prevent escalation. Care plans for residents with known aggressive behaviors and wandering tendencies were found to be insufficiently individualized and did not consistently include interventions to ensure adequate supervision or to protect other residents from harm. In several cases, residents with a history of aggression or wandering were not monitored closely enough, leading to altercations when they entered other residents' rooms or were in close proximity to others. Documentation revealed that staff were sometimes unaware of residents' whereabouts or did not witness the altercations, and in some cases, staff only became aware of incidents after hearing raised voices or residents calling for help. Behavioral monitoring and documentation of target behaviors for psychotropic medication use were also lacking or incomplete. The facility's failure to provide necessary structures and supervision resulted in physical injuries to several residents and created a likelihood of serious harm to others. The pattern of incidents demonstrated a lack of effective oversight and intervention for residents at high risk for aggressive behaviors, despite their known diagnoses of dementia, mood disorders, and behavioral disturbances. The deficiency was determined to be at the Immediate Jeopardy level due to the ongoing risk and actual harm experienced by residents on the secured dementia unit.
Removal Plan
- Educate the Administrator and Director of Nursing on ensuring that residents on the secured dementia unit are provided with adequate supervision to prevent incidents of resident-to-resident physical altercations and ensure resident safety.
- Educate staff on ensuring that residents on the secured dementia unit are provided with adequate supervision to prevent incidents of resident-to-resident physical altercations and ensure resident safety.
- Give specific examples of behavioral patterns that potentially lead to resident-to-resident altercations such as wandering patterns and behaviors, proximity of residents, verbal queues, and physical queues.
- Initiate enhanced monitoring and oversight by facility leadership over the secured unit to monitor patient care areas and resident rooms for resident behaviors that could lead to resident-to-resident altercations.
- Ensure that enhanced oversight of the secured unit is in place.