Failure to Accommodate Dietary Preferences and Restrictions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide food and drinks that accommodated a resident's allergies, intolerances, and preferences, specifically not ensuring a vegetarian diet as prescribed and preferred by the resident. Despite a physician's order and meal ticket indicating a vegetarian diet, the resident was served non-vegetarian food, including a pork chop at lunch and marble cake containing chocolate at dinner, which the resident was supposed to avoid due to a prior medical procedure. The resident reported that her food choices were repetitive and that she was not offered a vegetarian diet during her stay. Review of the care plan revealed it did not identify the resident's preference for a vegetarian diet or her inability to eat chocolate cake. Staff interviews confirmed that although a vegetarian menu extension existed, it was not utilized for this resident. The dietary manager stated that the resident would communicate her food preferences directly to the kitchen, but a specific vegetarian menu was not consistently provided. The registered dietitian acknowledged learning only recently about the resident's need to avoid chocolate, confirming that the cake served contained chocolate.