CNA Sentenced to 1-Year in Kansas Jail for Stealing Valuable Jewelry from Nursing Home Resident
After pleading guilty to mistreatment of an elder in the theft of jewelry valued at almost $10,000 from a 99-year-old resident in a Kansas nursing home, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) was sentenced to 1-year in jail followed by two years of probation.
The theft occurred in April 2018 and was discovered by the resident’s daughter who reported the missing jewelry to the facility’s management. The daughter was informed that the CNA who had provided care for the resident the day before did not return to work.
Police began an investigation and questioned the CNA about the missing jewelry. Initially, the aide dismissed the idea of a theft by saying, “They are dementia patients!” The aide later told the police that the rings which were valued at $9,976 might have been taken by a friend of hers. Later, when police informed her there was surveillance video of the resident’s room, the aide admitted that she had taken the jewelry. She said that she had used lotion to remove the four rings from the resident’s hand. The aide returned two of the rings she had taken and told the police that she had given the other two rings to a boyfriend to pawn.
All four of the rings were eventually recovered and returned to the resident.
Compliance Perspective
Failure by a nursing home to prevent staff members from stealing residents’ valuable personal possessions may be considered a violation of residents’ rights to have personal property and to be free from misappropriation and exploitation, and might be considered provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of residents’ personal property, including items of jewelry residents may wear all the time.
- Train staff regarding the rights of residents to have personal property and to also be free from misappropriation and exploitation of that property. Training should include stressing the importance of immediately reporting any suspected theft of residents’ personal property to a supervisor or through the Hotline.
- Periodically audit compliance with the protocols for itemizing and securing valuables in a locked drawer. Determine which residents choose to wear their jewelry and have staff monitor on an ongoing basis to ensure that it is not misappropriated.
