Failure to Provide Assistance with Personal Hygiene and Grooming
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide proper assistance with personal hygiene and grooming tasks for three residents who required help with activities of daily living (ADLs). One resident with hypertensive heart and chronic kidney disease, asthma, moderate intellectual disabilities, and dementia was observed with a full beard and long fingernails, and expressed a desire to be shaved and have his nails cut. A second resident with COPD, arthritis, dementia, and cataracts was observed with a mustache and chin hairs, and stated she wanted her mustache shaved but staff had not done it. Both residents' care plans indicated a need for moderate assistance with personal hygiene, which was not provided as observed and confirmed by staff interviews. A third resident with bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and osteoarthritis was found with long, jagged, and discolored toenails. Although there was a physician order for a podiatry consultation and a care plan indicating the need for staff assistance with ADLs, the resident's toenails had not been maintained by staff or the podiatrist. Staff interviews revealed confusion about podiatry scheduling and responsibility, and the resident had not been added to the list for podiatry services. Facility policy required routine nail hygiene services, but this policy was not implemented for the affected residents.