Failure to Provide Scheduled Showers for Dependent Resident
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses including Parkinson's disease, anxiety disorder, and spinal stenosis, who was moderately cognitively impaired and required substantial to total assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), did not receive scheduled showers as required. The resident's care plan specified assistance with bathing, dressing, and hygiene, and the resident was scheduled for showers twice weekly. However, documentation and interviews revealed that showers were not provided on multiple scheduled dates, as indicated by blank entries on the shower record. The Director of Nursing Services (DNS) confirmed that if there was no documentation, the shower was not given, and was unable to explain the missed showers. The DNS also noted that the resident sometimes refused the mechanical lift required for safe transfers into the shower bed, preferring an unsafe alternative, and that the shower bed had been broken in the past. However, there was no documentation to support that the resident refused transfers or that the shower bed was unavailable on the missed dates. Facility policy required that if care was declined, staff should document the refusal, notify a supervisor, and reoffer care, but no such documentation was provided. Additionally, the facility was unable to provide a policy for shower scheduling when requested.