Failure to Provide Consistent Bathing Care and Document Resident Preferences
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses of morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, who was assessed as having moderately impaired cognitive skills and requiring partial to moderate assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), was not consistently provided with appropriate bathing care. The resident reported only receiving bed baths and not being offered showers, despite expressing varying preferences for either a shower or a bed bath. Staff did not ask the resident for her preference, and documentation was lacking regarding whether the resident was offered, received, or refused showers or bed baths on multiple days. Review of the Certified Nurse Assistants' ADL task documentation revealed that during two separate weeks, the resident received only one bed bath each week, with no documentation for the remaining days to indicate if bathing was offered or refused. The Assistant Director of Nursing confirmed that, based on the resident's functional abilities, she should be able to shower with partial assistance and that residents are to receive either a shower or bed bath twice weekly. Facility policy also required staff to assist residents with bathing to maintain proper hygiene. The lack of consistent bathing care and documentation constituted a failure to ensure the resident's personal hygiene needs were met.