Addressing Harassment and Intimidation by Patients and Family Members
Since arriving at the skilled nursing facility after surgery for throat cancer, Ray had been attempting to touch female nurses inappropriately and had recently started making kissing motions at one of them whenever she entered and left the room.
Tacit acceptance of the unacceptable.
Though his behavior was recognized as unacceptable, most nurses had simply been redirecting him or telling him to stop, with no further consequences. Some explained the harassment away as the crude behavior of an old man who didn’t know any better. He’s from a different time; things were different back then. Some dismissed it as harmless. He thinks he’s being flirty. For others, his behavior was a mild though not particularly threatening irritation. He can’t even get out of his wheelchair—what’s there to worry about?
A symptom of cognitive decline, or plain old bullying?
The situation was complicated by the fact that Ray could not communicate verbally as a result of surgery, had short-term memory impairment, and difficulty concentrating. Although he appeared cognitively sound, there were just enough complications in communication and attention to cause some to speculate that he might be having neurocognitive decline that had disinhibited his self-restraint.
For others, Ray was a bully, maybe even a predator. He was taking advantage of access to female staff who were required […]
