Waters of Tipton: Staff Shaved Resident's Face Without Consent - IN
The resident, identified in federal inspection records as Resident C, has Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia with agitation, and severe cognitive impairment. He had always preferred to keep a beard and mustache. He saw the facility beautician regularly. Staff knew this. Nobody asked him before picking up a razor.
The incident occurred on August 29, 2025. A certified nursing aide, identified as CNA 8, was in the dining room when the aide responsible, identified as QMA 1, came in laughing and asked her how Resident C looked without eyebrows. CNA 8 asked what had happened. QMA 1 said she had shaved them off. CNA 8 asked whether his power of attorney was going to be upset. QMA 1 said his POA never came to the facility.
CNA 8 notified a registered nurse. The nurse went to Resident C and asked him directly whether he had given anyone permission to shave his beard and eyebrows. He said no.
When a second aide, CNA 5, came to work the following day, Resident C's eyebrows and all his facial hair were gone. An LPN told her the resident had been "done dirty." CNA 5 said she did not report it because she believed the nurse was already aware. The LPN, identified as LPN 7, said she had informed the director of nursing, who said she would investigate.
QMA 1 later told the facility's executive director a different version of events. She said Resident C's daughter had asked staff to trim his eyebrows. She used a comb and an electric razor but did not realize the razor had no guard, and accidentally shaved one eyebrow completely off. A nurse on duty, she said, told her to match the eyebrows up. So she shaved the other one off too. She then shaved his full beard and mustache, a decision she attributed to personal judgment, not any request from the family. She said the daughter had not asked her to remove all his facial hair.
The legal guardian for Resident C, who described herself as someone who had not visited for about six weeks before the end of August, came in and immediately noticed his mustache, beard, and eyebrows were gone. She asked him what happened. He told her the staff did it but could not say who.
She told inspectors she had not requested anyone trim his eyebrows. She said he had always preferred facial hair. Staff could trim it, she said, but under no circumstances should they shave it completely off.
By the time federal inspectors arrived on November 12, 2025, Resident C was resting in his room with a full beard and mustache. His facility profile photo in the electronic medical record showed him the same way. His hair had grown back. The record of what happened to him had not been erased.
The facility filed a notice against QMA 1 with the Indiana attorney general's office and contacted police. In its statement to inspectors, management called the behavior unacceptable and said it would not be tolerated.
A third aide, CNA 6, told inspectors she had worked at the facility for three years and that Resident C had always preferred to have facial hair. She said staff shaved him on shower days using disposable twin-blade razors kept in the shower room. She was not aware of him having any hair clippers of his own.
Federal inspectors cited the facility for failing to treat Resident C with dignity and respect, a violation classified as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting a small number of residents. The citation also referenced a separate incident involving QMA 1 spraying a different resident's hair and forehead and then writing on that resident's forehead with a marker at the nurse's station on November 2, 2025, ten weeks after the shaving incident.
His legal guardian told inspectors that just last week, Resident C's daughter called to say he was still unhappy. Staff were still trimming his beard. He had made clear what he wanted. He had always made clear what he wanted.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Waters of Tipton Skilled Nursing Facility, The from 2025-11-12 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 22, 2026 · Our methodology
WATERS OF TIPTON SKILLED NURSING FACILITY, THE in TIPTON, IN was cited for violations during a health inspection on November 12, 2025.
He had always preferred to keep a beard and mustache.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.