(This is an article that was researched and written by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The full link to the story is highlighted below)

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A Cass County nursing home with a history of resident abuse has been fined $9,500 due to new allegations of resident abuse and poor-quality care that may have contributed to a death. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing alleges that the staff of Caring Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Anita failed to adequately respond to a male resident’s change in condition during the day and evening shifts of May 18, 2025.

The resident allegedly developed a fever about 7 p.m., after which a staff member “applied a cold rag to his head,” according to inspectors. No medication was provided to lower the man’s fever and his physician was not notified until 3 a.m. the next morning, inspectors allege. By that time, the man’s vital signs had reportedly worsened considerably and he was vomiting and having trouble breathing.

The resident was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a left hip fracture, according to inspectors. He died at the hospital either five hours later or 17 hours later, with the state inspection report providing conflicting information as to the timing. The immediate cause of death was listed as sepsis as a consequence of aspiration pneumonia.

According to the inspectors’ findings, a certified nursing assistant later told them, “We look out for our residents, we notice the changes,” and said that while she had reported the man’s worsening condition to the nurse on duty, the nurse “was not paying attention.” She reported that after the nurse said he’d check on the man, he instead went outside and attended to other matters.

Caring Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation in Anita. (Photo via Google Earth)

The nurse allegedly told inspectors he was not informed of the man’s changing condition by either the staff or the man’s family. The facility’s director of nursing allegedly told inspectors the “only thing staff should have done that weekend was to contact her when they sent (the resident) out to the hospital.” When informed what staff members had said they observed and reported, she allegedly told the inspectors she “did not know a lot of that information.”

When asked again what should have been done, the director of nursing allegedly indicated the staff should have reached out to her and also used their nursing knowledge, contacted the physician and provided medication.

Caring Acres was fined $9,000 as a result of the death. The home was also fined $500 for abuse involving a different resident.  In 2023, Caring Acres was cited for failing to protect residents from sexual abuse at the hands of a male resident of the home. Last summer, the state proposed fines of $30,250 against Caring Acres due to verbal abuse allegedly committed by a teenage caregiver.

State records indicate Caring Acres is owned by Anew Healthcare Operations of Blue Springs, Mo., although operations are being overseen by a receiver. The for-profit company has operated 12 nursing homes in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri and is headed by Mark Hastings of Missouri who could not be reached for comment Thursday.