Resident-to-Resident Physical Abuse Incident
Penalty
Summary
A resident with schizoaffective disorder was admitted to the facility and shared a room with another resident diagnosed with psychosis. On the night of the incident, staff heard yelling and discovered the first resident standing over the second resident's bed, having struck the resident in the face while the latter was sleeping. The assaulted resident reported being woken by the physical contact and responded by kicking the aggressor away. Staff intervened to separate the residents and emergency medical technicians were called to the scene. The assaulted resident did not sustain physical injuries but expressed fear and discomfort about sharing a room with the aggressor. Staff confirmed that the incident involved one resident hitting another and acknowledged that it met the definition of abuse. The incident was reported to the State Survey Agency, and facility documentation corroborated the sequence of events, including the lack of injury and the emotional impact on the assaulted resident.