Failure to Accommodate Resident Shower Preferences and Maintain Shower Documentation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to accommodate a resident's preference for showers, as evidenced by the experience of a resident with central cord syndrome, quadriplegia, neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder, and major depressive disorder. This resident, who was cognitively intact and fully dependent on staff for bathing, reported receiving only two showers over a five-week period despite repeatedly requesting assistance and expressing discomfort with bed baths. The resident specifically noted feeling unclean and uncomfortable, particularly around the neck area where a cervical collar was worn. Interviews with CNAs and review of facility documentation revealed that the shower log, intended to track when residents received showers, was not maintained or updated. Staff were unable to provide documentation of showers given to the resident, and multiple requests by surveyors for the shower log went unfulfilled. The facility's policy required that residents receive necessary care and services according to their care plan and preferences, but the lack of documentation and failure to honor the resident's requests for showers demonstrated noncompliance with this policy.