Nursing home staff abused and laughed at patients, then fired whistleblower, records say
.png "A nursing aide is suing the nursing home she worked for after she says she reported negligence and was fired for it, according to a lawsuit.")
A nursing aide is suing the Iowa nursing home she worked for after saying she reported negligence and was fired for it, according to a lawsuit.
In March 2022, Shyohnte Shetworth-Ware was hired as a dietary aide at Promedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, now known as Harmony West Des Moines, according to the lawsuit filed Feb. 15.
While working at the nursing home, Shetworth-Ware became concerned about the way the staff was treating the patients. She said the staff was abusive, and she witnessed “physical aggression towards patients, such as forcibly grabbing an elderly man and shoving him into a chair when he was in need of assistance,” according to the lawsuit.
In addition, Shetworth-Ware said she witnessed the staff yelling and cursing at patients, making them feel like a “burden,” the lawsuit said.
Shetworth-Ware reported what she saw to her supervisor and the human resources department, according to the lawsuit.
She also reported that patients were not being given medication in a timely manner, according to the lawsuit.
After also reporting this to her supervisor, Shetworth-Ware filed a complaint with the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals (DIA) on July 9, 2022, according to the lawsuit.
Shetworth-Ware told a co-worker that she filed a complaint. The co-worker then informed human resources about the complaint. Two days later, Shetworth-Ware was terminated, according to the lawsuit.
The DIA eventually issued a decision that substantiated many of Shetworth-Ware’s allegations, the lawsuit says.
Patient allegations
The Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals received a number of complaints made by patients at Promedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, some of which were found to be unsubstantiated and others were substantiated.
In a Sept. 27, 2023, interview, one patient told inspectors two workers came into her room to help her get ready for bed. While trying to move the patient, one of the workers ignored the patient’s request to allow her to reposition herself. While pulling on the patient and rolling her, the patient, who was terrified of falling, yelled out, “Stop, stop, don’t do that,” but the worker continued, court documents said.
The patient grabbed a trapeze to try and move herself, but the worker physically removed her fingers and twisted her wrist, leaving bruises, according to a complaint.
When the patient cried out in pain, the worker mocked her saying, “Stop it hurts,” the complaint said.
On July 7, 2022, another patient said “when you tell staff you need something they would just laugh at you,” according to the complaint.
The patient said the workers yelled at her, telling her not to use her call light or they will not answer, the complaint said. When she would get help, she said the workers would yell, “We don’t have time for this.”
The patient said when her roommate tried to speak up for her, the workers would tell her to “shut up and stay out of it,” the complaint said.
“The aides just treat them poorly,” the complaint said.
Damages
Shetworth-Ware said after she was fired, Promedica didn’t pay her for hours she worked, according to the lawsuit.
Promedica said Shetworth-Ware completed an online training course when she was hired, agreeing to an arbitration agreement. However, Shetworth-Ware said in the lawsuit she had “no prior notice of what she would be reviewing, little time to meaningfully review what she was being presented with, no opportunity to seek advice or counsel, and no opportunity to discuss or negotiate the terms of the arbitration proposal.”
Promedica and its affiliates, ManorCare of West Des Moines and Heartland Employment, were listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
McClatchy News reached out to the companies’ attorney for comment Feb. 20 but did not immediately hear back.
Shetworth-Ware is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Nursing home staff abused and laughed at patients, then fired whistleblower, records say."
