Failure to Report Sexual Abuse Allegations to State Authorities
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of sexual abuse to the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) involving two residents. Resident C, who had diagnoses including vascular dementia and was severely cognitively impaired, was placed on 15-minute safety checks for sexually acting out, but there was no documentation in the clinical record explaining the behaviors that led to this intervention. Staff, including a registered nurse and the Director of Nursing (DON), were unable to provide documentation or clear details about the incident, and the DON confirmed that the incident was not reported to IDOH. The Administrator was also aware of the allegation via text from the DON but did not report it to the state agency. Resident G, who had moderate cognitive impairment and diagnoses including diabetes and anxiety, reported that Resident C had inappropriately touched her while she was in her wheelchair. Resident G stated she informed several staff members but could not recall their names, and indicated that similar behaviors had occurred previously. The DON had not spoken with Resident G about the event, and there was no evidence that the required abuse reporting policy was followed. The facility's own policy required the Administrator to notify IDOH in the event of an abuse allegation, which was not done in these cases.