Failure to Accommodate Resident Food Preferences
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses including right-sided hemiplegia, aphasia, and diabetes, and who was assessed as cognitively intact, was not provided with meals that accommodated their stated food preferences. The resident was on a low calorie sweetener (LCS) diet with regular texture and was to receive large portions and a bedtime snack daily. Despite documentation in the care plan and nutrition assessment that the resident's food preferences, including cultural foods and bone-in meats, should be honored, the facility failed to provide these items. The resident reported receiving bland meals and boneless chicken instead of preferred bone-in chicken legs and thighs, leading them to purchase and store their own food in their room. The clinical record showed that the Director of Food Services had previously been made aware of the resident's preferences and had ordered some culturally appropriate foods, but refused to provide bone-in meats, citing concerns about choking hazards. The Director of Food Services could not provide evidence that the requested cultural foods were currently available in the facility. The Director of Nursing Services was aware of the resident's preferences but was not aware that these preferences were not being accommodated as outlined in the resident's care plan. The facility was unable to provide a policy for accommodating resident food preferences when requested.