Failure to Accommodate Visually Impaired Resident's Food Choices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to promote and facilitate a resident's ability to make food choices, as required by resident rights policies. A resident with macular degeneration and nutritional deficiency, who was cognitively intact but visually impaired, was not provided effective assistance in selecting meals. Although the resident was given a menu, she could not read it due to her blindness and reported that no one offered to help her fill it out. She stated she had been served eggs every morning since admission despite requesting alternatives multiple times. There was no documentation in her medical record regarding her dietary preferences. Interviews with facility staff revealed that the Registered Dietician was unaware that the resident's meal choices had not been assessed, and the Dietary Manager could not locate the resident's menu choices for the week. The facility's process relied on residents, family, or staff to assist with menu selection, but in this case, the process failed, and the resident's preferences were not accommodated. The lack of assistance and documentation led to the resident repeatedly receiving unwanted meals.