Failure to Treat Residents with Dignity and Respect
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that three residents were treated with dignity and respect, as required by policy. During an observation, a CNA referred to residents with the label "lay backs" in a public hallway while pointing to three residents who were seated in geri chairs near the nurses' station. This comment was made in the presence of other staff and residents, and the Director of Nursing later confirmed that such language is not appropriate and does not align with facility policy, which mandates respectful communication and addressing residents by their preferred names. The residents involved had significant cognitive impairments, including diagnoses of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. Two of the residents were moderately cognitively impaired, while one had severely impaired cognitive skills and was unable to participate in a mental status interview. The incident was observed and documented by surveyors, and attempts to interview the CNA involved were unsuccessful prior to the survey exit. The facility's own dignity policy emphasizes the importance of promoting residents' well-being and self-worth, which was not upheld in this instance.