(This report was researched and produced by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is solely responsible for its content) –

Three southwest Iowa care facilities were among five from across the State that were recently cited for alleged incidents of abuse. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says inspectors with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) – which oversees and inspects Iowa’s nursing homes – cited Corning Specialty Care, the Salem Lutheran Home in Elk Horn, and Chapters Living in Council Bluffs, following separate, alleged incidents of residents’ abuse.

Corning Specialty Care – This home was cited for failing to properly inform the state of the verbal abuse of a resident by a staff member in February 2025. According to inspectors, a certified nurse aide told state inspectors in May that she heard a female CNA at the home tell a male resident, “You did this to yourself, so you can get yourself up and clean yourself up.” A licensed practical nurse also reported hearing the comment and told inspectors the resident was left crying.

A third worker reported she had seen the accused CNA “on many occasions” tell the resident that he was “a grown-a– man” and that he needed to “wipe your own a–.” A fourth employee of the home corroborated that claim, adding that she had assumed other staffers had reported the aide’s conduct. A fifth worker reported that on one occasion she heard the accused aide tell the man, “I’m not going to clean your a–. If you’re going home, you need to do it yourself.”

Salem Lutheran Home, Elk Horn – This facility was cited for failing to properly investigate and report the alleged abuse of a resident. A resident of the home told inspectors in June 2025 that a few months earlier, a female CNA at the home had left her sitting on a bedpan for five hours with her call-light placed out of reach.

The woman also reported that on one occasion the worker was “acting drunk” and being disrespectful to her – throwing a pile of blankets in her lap and telling her to pick the one that she wanted. The woman told inspectors she didn’t report the incidents to management because she feared the CNA was friends with the director of nursing. According to inspectors, the home’s administration was aware of the incident involving the bedpan and acknowledged that no report of the matter had been sent to the state.

Chapters Living, Council Bluffs – This facility was cited for failing to properly report the alleged abuse of a resident. A resident of the home had reported that a CNA had come to her room during the night and then spilled the contents of her bedpan onto the bed. According to inspectors, the worker at first denied spilling the bedpan, rudely informed the resident she was on her call-light too much, tossed the resident’s call-light out of reach, and then left the resident in soiled bedding before later returning to change the sheets. According to the inspectors, the home’s administrator later admitted the call-light had been placed out of the resident’s reach, but said that was inadvertent.