Charges were filed against two nursing home employees who were caught on camera beating and dragging an 87-year-old resident, according to officials with the Texas City Police Department. The employees were each charged with injury to an elderly person, with bonds set at $100,000. Texas City police said they had received a complaint about an elderly male being assaulted by two caregivers at an area nursing home.
The resident’s family said facility staff had contacted them to tell them the resident had fallen and needed go to the hospital. When family members saw him, he had bruised eyes and had to wear a neck brace. The family then watched the footage from the surveillance camera they had put in the resident’s room. They saw the resident on the floor with two employees hitting and kicking at him. The employees then dragged him back into his bed before one of the employees closed the curtain, hiding everything that happened afterward.
According to a grandson of the resident, his grandfather had been telling his family about abuse at the nursing home for years. That is why the family eventually installed a camera in his room.
The facility released this statement: “We have no tolerance for behavior that jeopardizes the health and safety of our residents, and all violations of our policies are addressed appropriately. Our thoughts remain with the resident and his family during this difficult time.”
Issue:
Abuse is the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish. Instances of abuse of all residents, irrespective of any mental or physical condition, cause physical harm, pain, or mental anguish. According to F600 in the State Operations Manual, Appendix PP, the resident has the right to be free from abuse, neglect, misappropriation of resident property, and exploitation. Reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation is mandatory for all nursing facilities. It is crucial that each nursing facility have a process in place for reporting violations. Staff members should understand their role in identifying, reporting, and investigating abuse. Failure to report in the appropriate time frame is a violation of F609 Reporting of Alleged Violations, and can result in citations at the immediate jeopardy level. Substantiated violations may be considered provision of substandard quality of care, resulting in sanctions and civil or criminal charges.
Discussion Points:
- Review your policies and procedures on preventing, identifying, and reporting abuse. Update them as necessary.
- Train all staff on what is considered abuse, and the steps that should be taken when it is suspected. Offer the training during new employee orientation, repeat at least annually, and more often if needed. Document that the training occurred, and record in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit staff understanding to ensure that they are aware of the steps that should be taken if they suspect abuse, and their reporting options, including the use of the anonymous hotline.
