F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
E

Failure to Provide Homelike Environment and Maintain Cleanliness

Bernard Care CenterSaint Louis, Missouri Survey Completed on 04-18-2024

Summary

The facility failed to provide a homelike environment by serving meals on Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils, which was observed during multiple meal times. Residents expressed dissatisfaction with the use of these materials, stating that they would not use them at home and found them difficult to use. One resident, who had hemiplegia, struggled to eat with the plastic utensils, resulting in a significant portion of their meal being uneaten. Another resident, who was totally dependent on staff for eating, had difficulty consuming their meal as the plastic fork could not cut through the food properly. Staff interviews confirmed that the use of Styrofoam and plastic utensils was not considered homelike, and the Dietary Manager acknowledged that the dishwasher was fixed but residents were still using disposable items until she felt comfortable with the dishwasher's performance. The facility also failed to provide clean and properly maintained equipment. One resident was transferred to a new wheelchair that was visibly dirty, with white crusty and reddish-brown stains on the seat and thick cobwebs on the wheels. Staff interviews revealed that the night shift CNAs were responsible for cleaning wheelchairs, but the provided wheelchair was not cleaned before being given to the resident. The Director of Nurses stated that she expected staff to provide clean wheelchairs to residents. Additionally, the facility did not maintain clean resident rooms. Observations of three different rooms showed sticky floors, dirty privacy curtains with brown stains, dusty air conditioning units, and trash debris. One resident expressed distress over the state of their room, which had not been cleaned adequately. Staff interviews indicated that housekeeping was expected to follow cleaning schedules, but the observed conditions did not meet these expectations. The Housekeeping Supervisor and the Administrator both stated that they expected residents' rooms to be clean and orderly, but this was not the case during the survey observations.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $37,38844 days payment denial
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0584 citations
Soiled Mattress and Tray-Based Meal Service
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A resident with moderate cognitive impairment and extensive ADL needs was found with urine-soiled bedding, an unmade bed, and a mattress that was torn and heavily stained, with staff stating the damage had been present for a while. On the secured unit, all observed residents were served meals on plastic trays holding their plates, utensils, and drinks instead of having items placed directly on the table, and staff and the DON confirmed this was the routine practice.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unsafe Room Flooring and Loose Bathroom Sinks
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A facility failed to maintain a safe, homelike environment when a resident room had broken and missing floor tile exposing the wood underneath, and two bathrooms had sinks coming away from the wall and loose enough to move when pressure was applied. One resident said the floor had been bad for some time and had been reported without being addressed, and an LPN later confirmed the damaged flooring and loose sinks.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Furniture Not Kept in Good Repair
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Furniture Not Kept in Good Repair: Armchairs in multiple resident rooms and chairs in the front sitting area were observed with torn or cracked upholstery exposing cloth material. The Maintenance Director stated the furniture was not in good repair and had not been notified of the damage, while the Administrator stated staff were to remove furniture with tears.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unclean refrigerator and tray service during dining
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A facility failed to maintain a clean, homelike environment when a refrigerator used for resident supplement drinks had significant ice buildup with an unknown item in it, and staff were unsure who was responsible for cleaning or reporting it. In addition, meals were repeatedly served on trays and left in front of residents during dining, which an RN and the VPS confirmed had been occurring for some time and was not homelike.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Failure to Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures: Several residents were found in hot, stuffy rooms with weak or nonworking AC units, and room temps were measured above 81 F, including one room at 89.5 F. Residents reported feeling hot and uncomfortable, and some were not offered a room change while the issue persisted. The facility did not follow its Hot Weather policy for relocating residents to cooler areas and monitoring room temps.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Excessive Ambient Temperatures at Nurses' Stations
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Excessive ambient temperatures were observed at the 100/200 and 300/400 nurses' stations when the wall thermostat and facility temperature monitoring device both showed readings in the low 80s. The surveyor verified the readings with the Facility Maintenance Director while residents were seated in nearby common areas.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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