Delayed Call Bell Response for Dependent Resident
Penalty
Summary
A resident with a history of muscle weakness and stroke, who was incontinent and required assistance from two staff members for transfers, experienced a significant delay in response to her call bell. On the observed date, the resident activated her call bell at 10:51 a.m. and it remained unanswered until 11:21 a.m., as confirmed by the Device Activity Report. During this period, the resident reported waiting approximately 20 minutes for assistance to be changed, and stated that extended wait times for call bell responses were a frequent occurrence. Staff did not enter the room to provide the requested assistance until 27 minutes after the call bell was activated. The DON confirmed that the facility's expected response time for call bells was ten minutes or less.