Resident Served Food Contrary to Documented Preferences
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident was served sliced tomatoes with lunch, despite a documented dislike for tomatoes on the resident's meal tray ticket. The resident confirmed during an interview that they had previously informed staff of their dislike for tomatoes, yet continued to receive them. Observation showed the tomatoes were left untouched, and the meal tray ticket clearly listed tomatoes as a dislike. Both the Certified Nursing Assistant and Dietary staff acknowledged that the meal tray contents were not properly checked against the resident's documented preferences prior to serving the meal. Further review with the Dietary Manager confirmed that the expectation was for dietary staff to compare meal tray contents with the tray ticket, which was not done in this instance. The facility's policies require that resident preferences be honored and that ongoing communication and coordination occur to meet residents' dietary needs. The failure to follow these procedures resulted in the resident receiving food that did not accommodate their stated preferences.