Failure to Assist Resident in Accessing Vision Services
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses including COPD, chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia, and dementia, who required partial to moderate assistance with activities of daily living and transfers, reported being unable to see with his current glasses and not having been evaluated by an eye doctor since before admission to the facility. The resident's daughter stated she had requested assistance from the facility's social worker to arrange an eye doctor appointment, but was told that seeing an eye doctor was not part of the resident's care and that the facility could not make such arrangements. Review of the resident's record revealed no documentation of vision or eye care. The Director of Social Services later confirmed that residents should be able to see an eye doctor if needed and that the facility would assist in making those arrangements.