Failure to Treat Resident with Dignity During Therapy Interactions
Summary
The facility failed to treat a resident with dignity and respect when therapy interactions were reported as verbally demoralizing and rude. The resident was admitted with lymphedema, morbid obesity, chronic pain, and age-related osteoporosis without current pathological fracture, and her MDS assessment showed intact cognition with a Brief Interview for Mental Status score of 15/15. During an interview, the resident stated that a Physical Therapist told her she did not want to stand and became upset with her, saying she just wanted someone to blame for not being able to stand. The resident said this interaction upset her, and she reported it to the facility administrator by email but did not receive a response. She also stated that her family friend and family member raised concerns with facility leadership about how she had been treated by the therapist, and she described the interaction as verbal abuse. The resident’s family member submitted a grievance stating that the Physical Therapist had the resident sit on the edge of the bed, do leg kicks, and then told her to stand without assistance or equipment even though she was unable to do so, and that this had continued for several days. The grievance also stated that when the resident asked what she could do to improve, the therapist told her she did not want to and was looking for someone to blame, which the resident described as verbally demoralizing and rude. Interviews with facility staff showed the therapist was not aware of leadership discussion about the concerns, the Therapy Director believed it was a personality conflict, and the Unit Manager said the resident felt therapy staff were not patient and were telling her she was not trying. The DON stated that concerns described as verbally demoralizing and rude should have prompted further inquiry, but there was no documentation that the resident’s request to speak with the social worker, case manager, and head of PT was honored regarding the grievance.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Trusted data from CMS and state health departments
Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 8, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.
In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.
The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.