Failure to Provide Scheduled Showers to Dependent Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide showers as scheduled to residents who required assistance with activities of daily living, specifically bathing. Three residents with varying medical needs, including dependence on renal dialysis, tracheostomy status, and congestive heart failure, were affected. Documentation and interviews revealed that these residents were scheduled for showers twice weekly, but records showed they received significantly fewer showers or baths than scheduled. For example, one resident received only three showers or baths over a month, another received three since admission, and a third received only two showers in the same period. Staff interviews confirmed that shower sheets were not completed for each scheduled shower, nor was resident refusal consistently documented as required by facility policy. Resident interviews further corroborated the lack of scheduled showers, with one resident expressing a preference for showers over bed baths and another stating that staff were too busy to provide showers, leading him to clean himself at the sink. Review of the facility's policy indicated that residents should receive showers per their requests or according to the facility's schedule, but this was not consistently followed. The deficiency was substantiated through medical record review, resident and staff interviews, and documentation audits.