Failure to Maintain Adequate Personal Hygiene and Grooming for Dependent Resident
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a resident with dementia, who was dependent on staff for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), did not consistently receive adequate personal hygiene and grooming. The resident's clinical record indicated severe cognitive impairment, requiring supervision or touch assistance for bathing and partial to moderate assistance with personal hygiene, including shaving and hand/face washing. Despite these needs, observations revealed the resident had a brown substance under his fingernails and was not shaved, with facial stubble present. The resident expressed that his nails needed cleaning and requested a shower, although he did not mind some facial hair. Documentation showed that showers and bed baths were provided intermittently over the previous 30 days, but there were gaps in the provision of these services. Further observations confirmed that, while the resident's fingernails were trimmed, two fingernails still had a brown substance underneath, and the resident remained unshaved. Interviews with the resident and the Nursing Home Administrator (NHA) corroborated these findings, with the NHA acknowledging the need for nail cleaning and stating that the resident was educated on hand hygiene. The resident later confirmed that his fingernails were cleaned, but minimal residue remained. The deficiency was cited under 28 Pa code 211.12.(d)(1)(5) for nursing services, as the facility failed to maintain adequate personal hygiene and grooming for a resident dependent on staff assistance.