The assistant administrator discovered the employee in the resident's room asking for money during what should have been her day off.
Staff A was not scheduled to work that weekend. She told facility management she came to the building to say goodbye to her favorite residents. But when the assistant administrator went to check on Resident #1, she found Staff A in his room.
The assistant administrator stepped out, then returned after Staff A left to ask what had happened.
Resident #1 told her Staff A was asking for money. When pressed for details, he revealed this was not the first time. He had given Staff A $100 previously and $12 that Sunday.
The resident said he lent her the money thinking Staff A would pay him back. She had tried to use an ATM at a gas station, but it wasn't working. Staff A promised to repay him on payday Friday.
She never did.
The first time, Resident #1 offered to give Staff A money after she complained about her car battery not working. She said she needed to replace it so she could show up to work.
The second time was different. Staff A sought him out. She told him she was leaving her home because of a domestic situation.
Resident #1 admitted that if she didn't pay him back, he would consider it a wash.
The facility immediately reimbursed Resident #1 the full $112 and provided him with a lock box to store his wallet in his room. When administrators interviewed other residents, no one else had given Staff A or other staff members money.
Resident #1 serves as his own payee. He pays his client participation by check every month and keeps whatever money he has left over. The administrator noted he has a bank account and did not normally keep that much cash on him.
Staff A denied everything when confronted by facility management. She told them the allegation was false but said they should do their investigation anyway.
When inspectors tried to reach Staff A on September 24, an automated recording said the number in her employee file could not be dialed. Emails sent to both addresses on file went unanswered on September 24 and 25.
On September 29, Staff A finally responded to inspectors. She maintained she did not ask for money or take money from Resident #1. When asked to meet in person to discuss the matter further, she said she didn't have a car and lived two miles away from town.
The administrator acknowledged Staff A had been in the building on her days off before.
Staff A provided a list of residents she claimed to have spoken with during her unauthorized visit. Those residents had low BIMS scores and could not recall anything about her presence.
The facility's own policy, revised in April 2021, states that residents have the right to be free from abuse, neglect, misappropriation of resident property and exploitation. The policy specifically identifies facility staff as potential threats residents must be protected from.
Following the incident, administrators immediately educated all staff members that asking for or taking money from residents is not acceptable, even if residents offer to have staff buy something from the vending machine. Staff are required to go to management so such requests can be handled properly.
The contradiction between Staff A's denial and the detailed account from Resident #1 highlights the vulnerability of nursing home residents to financial exploitation. While the facility reimbursed the money, the incident occurred because a staff member had inappropriate access to a resident's personal funds during an unauthorized visit.
The administrator's decision to provide Resident #1 with a lock box suggests recognition that the facility's existing safeguards failed to protect him from staff exploitation. The resident's willingness to "consider it a wash" if never repaid demonstrates the power imbalance between staff and residents that makes such exploitation possible.
Staff A's claim that she visited to say goodbye to favorite residents raises questions about boundaries between employees and the vulnerable adults in their care. Her inability or unwillingness to meet with inspectors to address the allegations left her denial unchallenged by federal investigators.
The facility's policy explicitly recognizes that staff pose risks to residents, yet this incident occurred despite those written protections. Resident #1 gave money twice to an employee who exploited his trust and generosity, leaving him $112 poorer until the facility intervened.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Azria Health Longview from 2025-10-01 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.