Failure to Protect Resident from Verbal and Emotional Abuse
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident (R5) was not protected from verbal and emotional abuse by another resident (R1). R1, who has diagnoses including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Primary Insomnia, Major Depressive Disorder, and Paranoid Schizophrenia, became verbally aggressive towards R5, who also has multiple diagnoses such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Undifferentiated Schizophrenia, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Anxiety Disorder, and Hypertension. The incident took place in the dining room, where R1 was observed yelling at R5, accusing him of taking his cigarettes. Multiple staff members, including LPNs and a CNA, confirmed that R1 was shouting, screaming, and moving aggressively towards R5, and at one point attempted to strike him. Staff were made aware of the situation and intervened to redirect R1. Despite the facility's policies on resident safety, supervision, and abuse prevention, the incident demonstrates a failure to prevent verbal and emotional abuse. The facility's own staff, including the Assistant Director of Nursing and the Administrator, acknowledged that no form of abuse should occur within the facility. Documentation and interviews confirm that the altercation was not prevented or adequately managed to protect R5 from abuse, as required by facility policy and regulatory standards.