Failure to Protect Resident from Misappropriation of Property
Penalty
Summary
A resident with moderate cognitive impairment and a diagnosis of spinal stenosis was admitted to the facility with $669 in their wallet, as documented on the Inventory of Personal Effects. Upon admission, a CNA and the resident counted the money, and the CNA handed it to a nurse, who placed it in a medication cart's narcotic drawer. The charge nurse notified a unit manager about the money, and the unit manager instructed the charge nurse to store it in the narcotic drawer. When the charge nurse returned to work, the money was missing from the drawer. Multiple staff interviews confirmed that the money was last seen when placed in the medication cart, and no one reported moving or seeing the money afterward. The resident later requested their money, but staff were unable to locate it. The facility's investigation, which included staff interviews and a review of the medication cart assignments, was unable to determine what happened to the resident's money or who took it. The incident was reported to the police, and the facility's policy required protection of residents from misappropriation of property. The money was never recovered, and the facility was found to have failed to protect the resident's right to be free from misappropriation of property.