Deficiencies in Resident Supervision and Call Light System
Summary
The facility failed to provide adequate protective oversight for residents in the secured memory unit, particularly for a resident with a history of wandering and aggressive behavior. This resident was involved in multiple physical altercations with other residents over a period of several months, starting in September 2023. Despite being aware of the resident's aggressive tendencies, the facility did not assign one-to-one supervision, which led to an incident where the resident was pushed by another resident, resulting in a fracture of the left elbow. Additionally, the facility did not ensure that the call light communication system was functioning on the fourth floor. Observations revealed that the system was not operational, with no sound or visual alerts to indicate when residents required assistance. Staff interviews confirmed that the system had been non-functional for several weeks, and the maintenance director was aware of the issue but had not resolved it. The administrator was aware of both the resident's behavior issues and the malfunctioning call light system upon being hired but did not take effective action to address these problems. The lack of supervision for the wandering resident and the non-functional call light system posed significant risks to resident safety and well-being.
Removal Plan
- An Ad Hoc Abuse Performance Improvement Meeting was held with the Administrator, Director of Social Services, the DON, Corporate Operations Consultant, and the Corporate Nurse Consultant to identify the root cause of resident-to-resident altercations with a subsequent plan of action. The Abuse Prevention Policy, Resident to Resident Policy, and the Behavioral Management Policy were reviewed no changes made.
- The Administrator's job description was reviewed with the Administrator by the Corporate Operations Consultant. No revisions were made.
- The Corporate Operations Consultant in-serviced the Administrator, DON, and Social Services Director (SSD) on how to properly conduct an abuse investigation, how to track and to determine trends, root cause analysis and communication among departments on abuse reporting. The facility QAPI policy was reviewed specifically regarding how to determine root cause analysis.
- The Corporate Operations Consultant audited, completed, and signed the facility Abuse Log from September 2023 through current for any further areas of concern. Name of Audit- Abuse Log Audit. Trends noted to be primarily on third floor and in the evenings involving R1. Residents and the time of altercations were discussed with the Administrator and Director of Social Services. Interventions were put into place on the Abuse Performance Improvement Plan.
- The Corporate Nurse Consultant and DON audited the resident-to-resident altercations from September 2023 through current. The audit is named Resident to Resident Documentation Audit. It was identified that care plans were not initiated on all resident-to-resident altercations. Care plans were implemented. The DON and Administrator will discuss all abuse allegations in the morning meeting to ensure all departments respond appropriately. Documentation will be monitored through the Abuse Performance Improvement Plan and reported during QAPI by the Director of Nursing and Administrator.
- The Administrator was educated through the company online training modules on Implementation of QAPI Programs in Nursing Facilities through a one hour approved course. The Administrator successfully completed a post class test and received a certification. The Corporate Operations Consultant conducted educated the Administrator on how to conduct a QAPI meeting and how to identify and complete a Root Cause Analysis.
Penalty
Resources
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