Failure to Ensure Proper Hearing Aid Use and Care Planning
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified regarding the facility's failure to ensure that a resident with hearing impairment received proper treatment and assistive devices to maintain hearing abilities. The resident was admitted with intact cognition and initially assessed as having adequate hearing, but subsequent assessments documented increasing difficulty with hearing, progressing to moderate difficulty. Despite the presence of a hearing aid on the resident's bedside table and the resident's repeated requests for assistance with hearing, there was no physician's order for the use of a hearing aid, and the care plan for impaired verbal communication did not include interventions related to hearing aid use. Multiple staff members, including an LPN, were unaware of the resident's use of a hearing aid, and the device was not consistently applied or documented in the resident's care plan or physician's orders. Observations showed the resident frequently without the hearing aid, struggling to hear during interactions, and requesting help to access the device. Interviews with staff and review of records confirmed the lack of documentation and care planning for the hearing aid, despite the resident's ongoing hearing difficulties and the device being available in the room. The deficiency was confirmed through interviews and record reviews, which demonstrated that the facility did not ensure the resident's hearing needs were properly addressed through care planning, staff awareness, or physician orders.