Is this resident abuse and should be reported?

[Aurelia Torvinus]

If a person witnesses a resident grab a CNA's arm to block them from moving by, and the CNA shrugs the resident off their arm or swats the residents hand out the way, like "Get away," but doesn't actually say "oh get away". Is this considered an abuse, should it be reported to the DSD or DON of a skilled nursing facility?

[MunoRN, RN]

In that scenario are you saying you think the CNA was the abuser or the abused?

[Aurelia Torvinus]

I am not sure, i don't want to get this person into trouble if it was an accident or i didn't see it correctly. Do you believe this is abuse, if you saw this, but i think it was the resident who approached the CNA out of the blue and grabbed the CNA's arm.

[MunoRN, RN]

What you describe is a resident making unwelcome contact with the CNA, which may or may not rise to the level of a misdemeanor crime depending on the specifics of what occurred and variations in state laws.

Grabbing someone's arm to get their attention usually doesn't fit the definition of a legal offense, unless the intent was to be coercive or threatening, although some definitions count that as a crime if the person experiences fear even if it wasn't intended.

The CNA's action of simply evading unwanted physical contact wouldn't generally fit any definition of 'abuse'.

Whether this should be reported is most appropriately up to the CNA.

[Aurelia Torvinus]

This resident had been told by various staff that she would be helped as soon as they were available, even i told the resident someone would be with her shortly, we were in the middle of shift change, and the resident starts kicking and screaming when she doesn't get her way, i was coming onto my shift and the CNA that the female resident grabbed was leaving the building.

[MunoRN, RN]

5 minutes ago, Aurelia Torvinus said:

This resident had been told by various staff that she would be helped as soon as they were available, even i told the resident someone would be with her shortly, we were in the middle of shift change, and the resident starts kicking and screaming when she doesn't get her way, i was coming onto my shift and the CNA that the female resident grabbed was leaving the building.

Whether she's cognitively culpable for her actions would be the question, but if she is then no, that should not be tolerated and whatever processes are in place for addressing this should be utilized.

[Aurelia Torvinus]

The female resident is fully alert.

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

The resident grabbed the CNA how the hell would that be resident abuse?

[JKL33]

12 hours ago, Aurelia Torvinus said:

If a person witnesses a resident grab a CNA's arm to block them from moving by, and the CNA shrugs the resident off their arm or swats the residents hand out the way

"Or"--??

I think you should stay out of it, and that's just one of the reasons.

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

Also, if you start reporting things like this (i.e., nothing), no one is going to take you seriously when you actually see something worth reporting.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Why would you think this is abuse of a resident?

[caliotter3]

14 hours ago, Rionoir said:

The resident grabbed the CNA how the hell would that be resident abuse?

There are managers and admins in LTC facilities that, on occasion, would make such a claim, especially when dealing with an employee they anticipate terminating. They would turn the situation around in the telling, or accuse the employee based upon their interpretation of the employee's response, even if the rendition of events were third hand.