Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity During Mealtime Assistance
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) failed to maintain a resident's dignity during mealtime assistance. The incident involved a resident with a history of adult failure to thrive, dementia, and generalized muscle weakness, who required total assistance with all activities of daily living and had severely impaired cognition. During observation, the resident was positioned upright in bed, and the CNA stood over the resident while feeding them breakfast, rather than sitting at eye level as required by facility policy and best practices for maintaining dignity. The CNA acknowledged that staff are expected to sit at eye level when assisting residents with eating to respect their dignity, but admitted to forgetting to get a chair. The Director of Nursing confirmed that staff have been reminded of the importance of assisting residents at eye level and that the CNA should have followed this protocol. Facility policy emphasizes accommodating residents' physical limitations and maintaining dignity during care interactions, which was not followed in this instance.