Failure to Provide Resident-Selected Menu Items and Dietary Preferences
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide resident-selected menu items for 14 out of 20 residents, as evidenced by meal observations and review of meal tickets. Specific deficiencies included residents not receiving requested items such as ginger ale, puddings, cookies, ice cream, house supplements, cranberry juice, nutritional supplements, and preferred salad dressings. In one instance, a resident received Italian dressing instead of the requested ranch, which the resident stated caused heartburn. Additionally, several residents consistently received fewer cookies than requested on their meal tickets. During staff interviews and cart inspections, it was revealed that the facility did not have any artificial sweetener available for residents with diabetes or those who preferred non-sugar sweeteners. The Dietary Manager confirmed the absence of artificial sweetener and indicated that the next food delivery was not expected for several days. The Nursing Home Administrator also confirmed the failure to provide selected food items to the affected residents. These findings are in violation of the facility's policy and state dietary service regulations.