Non-Functioning and Non-Audible Call Light System
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a resident call light system that was both functional and audible, as required. Multiple observations over several days revealed that call lights, while visibly lit above resident rooms and on the indicator board at the nurses' station, were not audible in the hallways. Staff interviews confirmed ongoing issues with the audibility of the call light system, with some call lights also being obscured from view by overhead paging system speaker boxes. The Resident Council reported excessively long wait times for call light responses, sometimes up to an hour, and confirmed that the call lights did not make any sound. Staff, including nursing assistants and registered nurses, acknowledged the lack of audibility and visibility of the call lights, with one staff member stating the system had not been audible for over a year. The Maintenance Director explained that the annunciator, the part of the system responsible for making the call lights audible, frequently malfunctioned and was not consistently repaired. Despite conducting monthly facility rounds, the Maintenance Director had not received work orders regarding the non-audible call light system and had not increased the frequency of checks to ensure proper function. During further observations, attempts to activate the call light system resulted in no audible alerts, and the only sound detected was an unrelated intermittent beep. The facility administrator stated that staff were expected to ensure the call light system was visible, audible, and in working order.