Failure to Timely Report Allegations of Abuse and Misappropriation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to immediately report allegations of abuse and misappropriation of resident property to the Administrator and State Agency within the required timeframes for three residents. In the first case, a resident with chronic kidney disease and diabetes reported $150 missing from their wallet, which was last seen in their backpack. The wallet was found by a staff member in the laundry and returned to the resident, who immediately noticed the missing money. Despite the resident's insistence that the money was stolen, the Administrator treated the incident as a grievance rather than a theft, did not collect statements from involved staff, and did not report the incident to authorities until much later, stating she was not informed it was a theft until the day before the surveyor's interview. In the second case, a resident with Parkinson's disease and dementia was subjected to alleged verbal and physical abuse by a nurse aide, who was observed yanking the resident's wheelchair and making derogatory remarks. The incident was witnessed by an LPN, who reported it to the RN supervisor. However, the RN supervisor did not escalate the report to the Director of Nursing (DNS) or remove the alleged perpetrator from duty as required by facility policy. The DNS was unaware of the incident until the surveyor's inquiry and had not read the LPN's written statement. The facility's policy required immediate reporting and removal of staff in such cases, which was not followed. In the third case, a resident with cerebrovascular disease and dementia reported $80 missing from their purse, which was moved during the night without their knowledge. The resident informed the surveyor, who then notified the charge nurse. The charge nurse claimed to have reported the incident to the RN supervisor, who denied receiving the report. The DNS was not informed of the allegation until the following day, well beyond the required reporting timeframe. The facility's policy mandated immediate reporting of such allegations, but this was not adhered to in this instance.