Failure to Provide Correct Mechanical Soft Diet Consistency
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide meals in the correct mechanical soft consistency for three residents who required this diet modification. For one resident with Parkinson's Disease and COPD, the meal tray included a chopped crispy fish sandwich with bread cut into two triangular pieces, rather than being prepared in bite-sized portions as required for a mechanical soft diet. Another resident with a history of orthopedic aftercare and a femur fracture received a meal tray with soup and a whole slice of bread with borders, which did not meet the mechanical soft ground/moist texture requirement. A third resident with metabolic encephalopathy and anemia was served big chunks of pear, chopped breaded fish, and two slices of bread cut in half, rather than in the appropriate consistency. Staff interviews confirmed that the breading on the fish was flaky and thin, and that the fish was precooked for any diet. The registered dietitian stated that mechanical soft diets should be cut into bite-sized pieces and that sandwiches should be prepared accordingly. However, observations showed that the meals provided did not meet these requirements, resulting in the facility's failure to provide food in a form designed to meet the individual needs of residents on mechanical soft diets.