Failure to Protect Residents' Right to Voice Grievances Without Retaliation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents could voice grievances without fear of discrimination or reprisal and did not promptly resolve grievances raised by the resident council. Resident council meeting minutes over several months documented repeated complaints about dietary issues, including being out of requested food items, food not being served as ordered, meals being late, and dissatisfaction with the quality and temperature of meals. Despite meetings with the dietary manager and assurances that issues were resolved, the same complaints persisted in subsequent meetings, and documentation of how issues were resolved was often incomplete or missing. Residents reported that after voicing complaints, particularly about receiving greens daily, the facility reduced the variety and quantity of food items, such as cutting breakfast bacon portions. Residents expressed that this reduction felt retaliatory, stating that complaining led to negative consequences, including longer wait times for meals and incomplete orders. Interviews with the activity director confirmed that dining complaints were ongoing and that the process for addressing retaliation was unclear, as they were unaware of any established procedure for residents who felt retaliated against.