Healthcare Compliance Perspective:
Prompt response and corrective action is required when violations occur. Failure to supervise residents and prevent accidents can lead to abuse, mistreatment and/or neglect of residents. The Compliance Officer is responsible to ensure that staff are trained and educated in abuse, mistreatment and neglect prevention and appropriate intervention. He/she should conduct internal monitoring and auditing to ensure that abuse, mistreatment and neglect are not happening and are not being overlooked.
Blood-splattered walls, a blood-soaked pillow, and blood on the two beds in the room were what greeted the police responding to the call from a Massachusetts nursing home last week. It was noted that the facility’s staff had attempted to clean-up some of the blood in the room.
The assault that resulted in the death of an 86-year-old man with dementia is being attributed to the man’s roommate who was found in a different room with blood on his hands. He was initially arrested and charged with using a piece of furniture to beat and bludgeon a person over the age of 65. However, it is expected that the charge will be upgraded due to the death of the bludgeoned man.
The piece of furniture used in the attack was not identified by police, but it was found standing up next to another piece of furniture in the room.
The accused was also identified by police as having dementia, and he was ordered to be evaluated by the court psychiatrist. After that evaluation, the judge refused to arraign the man; instead, he sent him to Bridgewater State Hospital to be further evaluated. He will be kept in custody at the hospital until his scheduled court appearance on Sept. 21.
According to Department of Public Health (DPH) records, the nursing home has had no major compliance violations in the last three inspections. However, it is rated below the state average due to a number of minor infractions one of which was the failure to adequately supervise each resident to prevent accidents and failure to ensure the dignity of each resident. The DPH is conducting an onsite review at the nursing home.
