Complaint Investigation Report

It was alleged that staff choked resident and choking incident was not reported to Licensing. It was reported that Staff #1 (S1) was observed holding Resident #1’s (R1’s) arm after R1 had become physically aggressive kicking and hitting S1 after allegedly being choked by S1. Records review of R1’s physician’s report dated 05/18/2023 notates R1’s mental health status as fair and states R1 is able to follow instructions frequently and has no problem communicating. Interviews conducted with staff revealed that R1 had become upset after being caught trying to steal cake from another resident. When S1 verbally redirected R1, R1 became aggressive and kicked S1. However, S1 stated that R1 apologized to them afterwards. After the alleged choking incident, staff stated that a body check was conducted on R1, and that redness and scratches/marks were not visible on R1’s neck and shoulders/back. Records reviewed and staff interviews conducted also revealed that a former staff present at the facility during the alleged choking incident had communicated with the Administrator via text message and communication corroborated with other interviews conducted stating that R1 had become aggressive and was swinging at S1; however, S1 blocked R1’s hits and was able to verbally deescalate the situation. Staff interviews further revealed that law enforcement had been called to do a wellness check at the facility that evening and R1 admitted to being mad because they did not get a piece of cake. Additionally, during an interview with R1, R1 denied being hit or choked by any staff member while living at the facility and did not display any signs of distress during the interview. Furthermore, incident report for alleged choking on 10/08/2023 was reported to Licensing on 10/10/2023 by the facility’s Administrator. Based on the information obtained and reviewed, the Department does not have sufficient evidence to support the allegations of “staff allegedly choked resident” and “choking incident not reported to Licensing”. Therefore, these allegations are being deemed Unsubstantiated at this time.

Exit interview. Report was reviewed with the Administrator and a copy was provided.