Failure to Safeguard Cognitively Impaired Resident's Property
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to exercise reasonable care for the protection of a cognitively impaired resident's property, resulting in the loss of a significant sum of money. Upon admission, the resident was documented as having $891.00 in cash, which was included on the personal belongings inventory. The resident, who had moderate cognitive impairment as indicated by a BIMS score of 9, was not asked to address the safekeeping of the cash, nor was there documentation that the facility educated the resident or their representative about the risks of keeping such a large amount of money in their possession. After the resident's death, only $58.00 was returned to the resident's spouse, with $833.00 unaccounted for. The facility's records, including the personal belongings inventory and the record of death, lacked proper reconciliation and signatures to confirm the status of the resident's property at discharge. Staff interviews confirmed that a resident with this level of cognitive impairment would not be expected to make sound decisions regarding their belongings. There was no evidence in the nursing, social service, or activity progress notes that the facility took steps to safeguard the cash or to document any interventions related to the resident's property. The facility did not reconcile the admission inventory list upon the resident's death, nor did it document any attempts to keep the belongings safe. Additionally, the facility failed to address this system failure through its QAPI process.