Failure to Treat Residents with Dignity and Respect by Nursing Staff
Penalty
Summary
Multiple residents who were alert and able to communicate their needs reported being treated without dignity and respect by a nurse during the overnight shift. The facility's own policy requires that residents be treated with dignity and respect, recognizing their individuality and accommodating their needs and preferences. However, five residents described consistent patterns of yelling, rudeness, and disrespectful behavior from the nurse, including the use of a curt or aggressive tone, withholding medications, and physically throwing or banging medications onto tables rather than handing them to residents. Specific incidents included residents feeling afraid to ask for assistance due to the nurse's behavior, being spoken to in a sharp, dismissive, or angry tone, and being reprimanded loudly in front of others. One resident recounted being yelled at for requesting medication, while another described the nurse interrupting care and speaking angrily about the use of a bedpan. Staff interviews corroborated these accounts, with other nurses and a CNA noting that the nurse in question was perceived as lacking compassion, being annoyed by resident requests, and speaking in a rude or condescending manner. Additional staff, including a nurse supervisor, observed the nurse moving a resident abruptly and speaking in a loud, reprimanding tone. The consistent and corroborated reports from both residents and staff indicate that the nurse's actions failed to honor the residents' rights to be treated with dignity and respect, as required by facility policy and regulatory standards.