Failure to Prevent Misappropriation of Resident Property
Penalty
Summary
A resident with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, generalized anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorder offered a Nursing Assistant (NA) $100 after learning about the NA's financial struggles. Despite initial refusal, the NA ultimately accepted the money after the resident insisted and placed the funds in the NA's pocket. When the resident later requested the money back to cover personal expenses, the NA did not respond to her messages. The resident reported the issue to two different staff members, expressing increasing distress over not having her funds returned. Multiple staff interviews confirmed the resident's upset state and her repeated attempts to recover the money. The NA admitted to accepting the funds and stated she was unaware that this was not allowed. The incident was reported to facility leadership, but there was no documentation of specific training or guidance provided to staff regarding this type of situation at the time of the incident. The facility's abuse training was conducted twice a year, but there was no evidence of additional or incident-specific training related to this event.