Failure to Offer Scheduled Showers and Honor Resident Preferences
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to offer showers to one resident, who had diagnoses including paraplegia, neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder, and major depressive disorder. The resident was cognitively intact and required maximal assistance with bathing and personal hygiene. According to the care plan, the resident was to be provided with opportunities for choice regarding shower times, and staff were to negotiate shower times to allow the resident to participate in decision-making. Despite this, the resident reported not being offered showers or bed baths and could not recall the last time he received such care. The facility's shower schedule indicated specific days for showers, and staff confirmed that the resident could request showers on other days as well. Record review and staff interviews revealed that on multiple occasions, the resident was not offered a shower or bed bath, as indicated by documentation of "Not Applicable" in the electronic health record, which staff explained meant the resident was not asked or offered the option. Staff acknowledged that the resident should have been routinely offered showers and that failing to do so denied the resident the opportunity to make his own decisions regarding personal hygiene. The facility's policy required providing the preferred method of personal hygiene, but this was not followed, resulting in the resident not receiving showers as scheduled.