Failure to Serve Meals at Scheduled Times
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to serve lunch meals at the scheduled time and in accordance with resident preferences on two observed occasions. According to the facility's posted schedule, lunch was to be served at 12:00 PM in the main dining room, but observations showed that meal trays arrived significantly late, at 12:38 PM and 12:48 PM on two consecutive days. During these observations, a resident expressed frustration about the extended wait for lunch. This resident was cognitively intact and required set-up assistance with eating, as documented in her quarterly MDS assessment. A group interview with the Resident Council revealed that multiple residents experienced late meal service, regardless of whether they ate in their rooms or in the main dining room. The Dietary Manager was unavailable for comment. The Regional Director of Operations and the Administrator acknowledged recent changes to the meal schedule intended to address timeliness, but the deficiency was observed during the implementation of these changes. The Administrator confirmed the expectation that residents should receive meals at the scheduled serving time.