Claiborne Health & Rehab: Restraint Violations - TN
Video surveillance at Claiborne Health and Rehabilitation Center captured the November incident involving Resident #15, who administrators said frequently kicked her blankets off the bed. The footage showed CNA A securing the resident's lower legs with a sheet and covering them with a blanket.
The HR Manager who reviewed the surveillance footage said it showed more than simple tucking. "If you look at the video it was more than a tuck," he stated during interviews with federal inspectors in November 2025.
CNA A told investigators the resident "liked to kick her blankets off and throw them on the floor" and had done so several times. The nursing assistant compared the situation to "playing a game with a toddler."
The incident escalated when another resident attempted to pick up the discarded blanket. "I was afraid the other resident was going to fall," CNA A explained during a telephone interview. "I took a sheet and wrapped it around the bottom part of the legs to keep her from kicking it off, so no one else fell over it."
The nursing assistant said she had observed other staff members tucking blankets under the resident's legs. "I had folded it and placed it over her legs and tucked under," she told inspectors. CNA A maintained she did not consider her actions a restraint.
Facility administrators offered conflicting assessments of the incident. The Administrator stated that surveillance video showed CNA A "wrapping and tucking" the resident's lower legs with a sheet. The Administrator noted that Resident #15 remained able to move her feet and wiggle her toes after the wrapping.
"The resident's legs were wrapped and the ends of the sheet were tucked in — it wasn't tied, it was tucked," the Administrator explained, suggesting CNA A wanted to ensure the resident's comfort because "she was constantly moving her legs and she didn't want her to fall."
The Quality and Regulation Manager initially said she did not consider the leg wrapping a restraint because "the resident's movement of her legs and feet were unchanged." However, when pressed by inspectors, she acknowledged the wrapping would constitute a restraint for a resident who could move their legs independently of each other.
When asked if she would want her own legs wrapped in a similar manner, the Quality and Regulation Manager replied simply: "No."
The HR Manager's review revealed that video surveillance showed the resident could move both legs from side to side but "could not move one leg without the other" after the sheet wrapping. During CNA A's interview, she reportedly said she did not consider the action "bounding, just tucked."
Federal inspectors documented the incident as part of a complaint investigation completed in November 2025. The violation was classified as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting few residents.
The case highlighted the blurred line between comfort measures and restraints in nursing home care. While CNA A said she had observed other staff tucking blankets under residents' legs, her method of wrapping the legs with a separate sheet drew scrutiny from facility management.
The resident at the center of the incident continued to move her feet and toes despite the leg wrapping, according to administrator observations. But the HR Manager's assessment that the video showed "more than a tuck" suggested the intervention exceeded standard blanket management techniques.
CNA A's stated motivation — preventing another resident from potentially falling while retrieving discarded blankets — reflected concern for overall unit safety. However, her comparison of the resident's behavior to "a toddler" and her decision to wrap rather than simply tuck raised questions about appropriate care approaches for adults with dementia or other conditions causing repetitive behaviors.
The facility's internal disagreement about whether the incident constituted a restraint underscored the complexity of distinguishing between legitimate comfort measures and inappropriate restrictions on resident movement.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Claiborne Health and Rehabilitation Center from 2025-11-20 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 21, 2026 · Our methodology
CLAIBORNE HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CENTER in TAZEWELL, TN was cited for violations during a health inspection on November 20, 2025.
The footage showed CNA A securing the resident's lower legs with a sheet and covering them with a blanket.
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.