Verbal Abuse of Resident by Housekeeper
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident with major depression, end stage kidney disease, and heart failure, who was alert and oriented but required extensive assistance for bed mobility, was subjected to verbal mistreatment by a staff member. The resident's care plan indicated a need for two staff during care and interventions for hoarding and treatment refusals. Despite these interventions, a housekeeper engaged in an argument with the resident, during which the housekeeper used profanity and derogatory language directed at the resident. This incident was witnessed by the Director of Maintenance, who observed the housekeeper calling the resident a derogatory term during a dispute about the placement of a bedside table. The facility's abuse policy strictly prohibits any kind of abuse or mistreatment, including verbal abuse defined as the use of derogatory or threatening language towards a resident. The incident was documented in facility records and confirmed through interviews with staff, including the Director of Maintenance and the DON, both of whom acknowledged that the language used constituted verbal abuse. The housekeeper later admitted in her employee file that she may have used the derogatory term when addressing the resident. The failure to prevent this verbal mistreatment resulted in a deficiency related to protecting residents from all types of abuse.