The incident at Vineyard Court Nursing Center occurred when Resident #4 and her daughters came back to the facility after eating out, carrying a bag of food with her. Near the nurses' station, CNA #2 asked if she had brought food for staff.
When the resident said no, the aide responded: "Well get your a back out of here."
Staff members, other residents, and the woman's daughters heard the exchange. The resident told state inspectors on September 23 that she was a minister and didn't use curse words herself. She found the language embarrassing, particularly in front of her children.
"She acknowledged it was not respectful, and it was embarrassing to be spoken to that way, especially when her children were with her," the inspection report states.
This wasn't an isolated incident. The resident described another encounter when CNA #2 came to collect her meal tray. The aide noticed she hadn't eaten much food.
The resident explained she didn't have much of an appetite. The CNA responded: "I know the h you don't. You're not eating any d food."
During her interview with inspectors, the resident said the aide "uses inappropriate language frequently when speaking with her." She acknowledged that profanity exists elsewhere but said nursing facility caregivers should be held to higher standards.
"For a care giver at work in a nursing facility to curse so easily and use such disrespectful language when speaking to residents was not appropriate or professional," she told inspectors. "The staff members at a nursing facility were held to a higher standard and they should not curse in front of the residents or residents' families."
When confronted about the incident, CNA #2 admitted using the language but claimed ignorance about its inappropriateness. She told inspectors "she did not know that a was a curse word and should not be used in the facility."
The aide acknowledged the language was disrespectful and admitted she was wrong to speak that way to a resident. She confirmed that the facility administrator had already provided in-service training about not using profanity at work.
Records show CNA #2 had completed resident rights training on July 15, just two months before the incident.
The administrator confirmed during her September 23 interview that the facility expects each resident to be treated with dignity and respect. She acknowledged that the facility failed to honor the resident's right to dignified treatment when the staff member used profanity.
The resident affected by the verbal abuse was admitted to Vineyard Court with end stage renal disease and Type 2 diabetes. Her cognitive assessment from July 14 showed a score of 15, indicating she was mentally intact and fully aware of how she was being treated.
State inspectors classified the violation as causing minimal harm with the potential for actual harm, affecting few residents. The facility was cited for failing to ensure residents are treated with dignity and respect, free from verbal abuse.
The inspection was conducted in response to a complaint about conditions at the facility. Federal regulations require nursing homes to protect residents from all forms of abuse, including verbal mistreatment by staff members.
The resident's experience highlights ongoing challenges in nursing home culture, where staff members in positions of trust sometimes fail to maintain professional boundaries with vulnerable residents. Her status as a minister made the profanity particularly jarring, but the violation would be equally serious regardless of a resident's religious background.
The incident occurred in a semi-public area near the nurses' station, meaning the disrespectful treatment was witnessed by multiple people including other residents who may have felt threatened by the aide's behavior toward their neighbor.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Vineyard Court Nursing Center from 2025-09-23 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
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