Failure to Provide Eyeglasses for Resident with Visual Impairment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that eyeglasses were made available to a resident with multiple visual impairments, as indicated in the optometry consultation and the care plan for impaired visual function. The resident was admitted with diagnoses including right eye keratopathy, bilateral nuclear cataract, bilateral glaucoma, presbyopia, and schizoaffective disorder. The care plan specified that the resident should use appropriate visual devices, such as glasses, to promote participation in activities of daily living, and staff were instructed to remind the resident to wear glasses and ensure they were in good condition. An optometry consult recommended bifocal glasses to improve the resident's vision and quality of life, and both the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and History and Physical (H&P) confirmed the need for corrective lenses. Despite these documented needs, multiple observations and interviews revealed that the resident did not have access to their glasses. The resident reported that their glasses were missing and had not been replaced, and staff members, including CNAs and an LVN, confirmed they had not seen the resident with glasses and could not locate them in the resident's room or at the nurse's station. The Director of Nursing also acknowledged the importance of the resident having glasses and confirmed their absence. The facility's policy stated that residents have the right to necessary accommodations and support for daily living, but this was not upheld in the resident's case.