Failure to Honor Resident's Cultural Food Preferences
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident's food preferences, including cultural preferences, were identified and honored. The resident, who was admitted with diagnoses including Parkinson's disease, muscle weakness, and dementia, had a severe cognitive impairment and was unable to express his preferences verbally. The resident primarily spoke Japanese and had limited English proficiency, and no staff at the facility spoke Japanese. Despite this, the dietary staff supervisor only interviewed the resident, who was unable to communicate effectively, and did not consult the resident's family or representative to determine food likes, dislikes, or cultural preferences. The care plan indicated a goal to include the resident's food preferences in his therapeutic diet, but this was not achieved. Interviews with staff confirmed that the resident never received Japanese food and that the dietary staff supervisor was unaware of the resident's language or cultural background. The supervisor acknowledged that, given the resident's severe cognitive impairment, the family should have been interviewed to obtain this information. The facility's policy required the dietary service supervisor to participate in food preference updates and resident visits, but these steps were not followed. As a result, the resident did not receive food items consistent with his cultural preferences and choices.