Resident's Mouth Covered with Towel by CNA
Penalty
Summary
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) placed a towel over the mouth of a resident who was non-verbal, dependent for activities of daily living, and had severely impaired decision-making capacity due to a cerebral infarction. The incident occurred while the CNA was providing care and the resident began coughing. The CNA, not wearing a mask at the time, covered the resident's mouth with a towel for at least one minute, reportedly to protect herself from the resident's cough. Another CNA witnessed the event, removed the towel, and advised the CNA that such actions were inappropriate. The resident was assessed following the incident and was found to have no injuries and was calm and in no distress. Interviews with staff and facility leadership confirmed that placing a towel over a resident's mouth is not acceptable practice and is contrary to the facility's abuse prevention policy, which prohibits physical abuse. The facility's policy emphasizes residents' rights to be free from abuse, including physical abuse.