Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity Due to Administrator’s Profanity and Unprofessional Conduct
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure residents were treated with dignity and respect, specifically related to the Administrator’s use of profanity and loud, unprofessional communication in areas where residents were present. Three cognitively intact residents, each with a Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) score of 15, reported that the Administrator frequently used swear words, including the F word, in everyday conversation within the facility. One resident stated the Administrator used profanity “all the time” in open areas in front of residents and that this concern had been raised through grievances and at a resident council meeting. Another resident reported hearing the Administrator refer to a resident as a “poor bastard” in the dining room, and described the Administrator as demeaning toward residents and staff. A third resident reported that the Administrator talked loudly, was distracting, and regularly swore in everyday talk, and expressed a desire that the Administrator not return. Resident grievance/complaint forms documented concerns from the Resident Council that the Administrator and the previous DON were cussing loudly in the dining room and that the Administrator had called a resident a “bastard,” though the written grievance noted the Administrator’s comment was about her husband being a “poor bastard.” A witness statement from the ADON described the Administrator as very loud and using profanity on many occasions with residents and staff, creating a tense atmosphere, and noted that residents had reported feeling bullied and talked down to by the Administrator. The Social Services Director also reported concerns about the Administrator’s professionalism, stating she had observed the Administrator and previous DON yelling and cussing at each other in open areas where residents could hear. The Administrator acknowledged being unprofessional at times, admitted to using profanity around residents and possibly using the F word in front of them, and stated that some staff also used profanity in the building. These actions conflicted with the facility’s dignity policy, which requires residents to be treated with dignity and respect at all times and cared for in a manner that promotes individuality, well-being, and self-esteem.
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