Staff-to-Resident Verbal and Physical Abuse Incident
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses including aphasia, memory deficit, dementia, and stroke, who was assessed as having moderately impaired cognition, approached the nurses' station and requested assistance to open a packet of sweetener. An LPN assisted the resident, after which the resident threw the opened packet toward a CNA seated at the station. In response, the CNA began to swear at the resident. The situation escalated when both the resident and the CNA grabbed each other by the wrists over the nurses' station, requiring intervention from other staff to separate them. The facility's abuse policy prohibits verbal and physical abuse by staff toward residents. Despite this, the CNA engaged in both verbal (profanity) and physical (grabbing wrists) abuse toward the resident. The incident was witnessed by staff, and subsequent interviews and documentation confirmed the sequence of events. The resident was later observed to be interacting appropriately with staff and other residents, and a wellness check indicated the resident felt safe at the facility.