Failure to Ensure Call Light Accessibility for Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure reasonable accommodation of needs for one resident, as evidenced by the lack of access to a call light. During a resident council meeting, a resident reported not having access to her call light after staff had deep-cleaned her room, stating that the call light had been inaccessible for 24 hours and was currently under a stack of plastic totes. Direct observation confirmed that the call light was on the floor, under a plastic storage container, and not within the resident's reach. The resident had diagnoses including unsteadiness on feet, difficulty walking, need for assistance with personal care, and glaucoma, and was assessed as having moderately impaired cognition. Despite these needs, the call light remained inaccessible during multiple observations, and the resident confirmed she could not reach it. Facility policy requires that call lights be within reach and accessible to residents, but this was not followed in this instance.