Failure to Protect Residents from Misappropriation of Property and Funds
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect two residents from the wrongful use of their belongings or money. In the first case, a resident with deafness and non-speaking status, but cognitively intact, entrusted a staff member, Activity Aide, with a significant sum of money over time. The resident, who had difficulty communicating with staff, gave the aide up to $1,000 to hold for safekeeping and to make purchases on their behalf. The aide returned only a portion of the money and provided minimal receipts, with a discrepancy of $181 unaccounted for. The resident was not aware of the facility's ability to hold money in a resident account and became visibly upset when discussing the situation. Staff interviews confirmed that facility policy prohibits staff from accepting money or gifts from residents, and several staff members acknowledged awareness of the policy and the incident. In the second case, another resident, who was a trauma survivor with intact cognition, collected bags of deposit cans in their room with the intention of redeeming them for cash to purchase personal items. The facility removed the cans during a room cleaning, and the resident reported that a housekeeper took the cans to cash in but never returned the money. The resident stated they had made it clear to staff that the cans were to be redeemed for their benefit. Staff interviews revealed confusion about the value of the cans and the process for their removal, with the Director of Social Work initially believing the cans had no value, then later acknowledging they did. The housekeeper admitted to taking the cans instead of disposing of them as instructed by administration. In both cases, the facility did not ensure the residents' rights to their property and funds were protected. There was a lack of clear communication and understanding among staff regarding the handling of residents' money and belongings, and the facility's policies prohibiting staff from accepting or managing resident funds were not followed. The incidents were not reported to outside agencies, and there was no evidence that the residents' consent was properly obtained or that their property was safeguarded as required.