Failure to Identify and Replace Missing Hearing Aids for Resident with Hearing Impairment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to identify and address the loss of hearing aids for a resident with severe cognitive impairment and sensorineural hearing loss. The resident was admitted with a diagnosis of dementia and hearing loss, and her care plan required the use of hearing aids daily. Despite this, observations revealed that the resident was not wearing hearing aids, and staff interviews indicated that the hearing aids had been lost and not replaced. The resident's emergency contact confirmed that the hearing aids had been lost on more than one occasion and that communication was more effective when the resident wore them. Multiple staff members, including nurses, reported never having seen or applied hearing aids for the resident, and searches of the medication storage room, medication cart, and the resident's room did not locate the devices. The Director of Nursing and Administrator were unaware of the missing hearing aids until informed during the survey. There was no evidence that the facility had investigated the loss of the hearing aids or arranged for a replacement or an appointment to maintain the resident's hearing abilities prior to the survey.