Failure to Investigate Allegations of Mental Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to thoroughly investigate allegations of mental abuse for a resident with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, who was cognitively intact. The resident reported that staff had mocked and made fun of her delusions on several occasions, and stated that she had reported these incidents to someone in April, but no action was taken. The resident expressed that the mocking had a negative mental impact and made her reluctant to report further delusions. Social Services staff confirmed that the resident reported staff making fun of her, but because the resident did not want to file a grievance due to fear of retaliation, no progress note was made and the concerns were not escalated to facility administration for investigation. The administrator was unaware of the allegations and acknowledged that all reports of abuse should be investigated, regardless of whether a formal grievance was filed.