Failure to Protect Resident from Verbal and Physical Abuse by CNA
Penalty
Summary
A resident under hospice care, who was cognitively intact, reported being verbally and physically abused by a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) approximately a year prior to the survey. The resident described an incident where the CNA argued with him about a room change, yelled at him, called him names, and struck him on the head with a roll of an object, possibly a paper towel. The resident stated he reported the incident at the time, and the CNA continued to work at the facility, though was not assigned to his care. The facility's incident report corroborated the resident's account, and staff interviews revealed that multiple staff members were aware of the CNA's aggressive behavior toward residents, including both verbal and physical abuse, which had been reported to management. Several staff members, including CNAs and LPNs, confirmed witnessing the CNA being verbally and physically aggressive with other residents and reported these incidents to management. One LPN specifically recalled witnessing the CNA being verbally abusive toward the resident in question and other residents, and stated that management responded by moving the CNA to another hall. The Director of Nursing and Nursing Home Administrator indicated that the abuse prevention coordinator at the time handled the investigation. The facility's policy on abuse, neglect, and exploitation lists resident or staff reports of abuse and observed verbal or physical abuse as possible indicators, all of which were present in this case.