Failure to Provide Showers According to Resident Preference and Policy
Penalty
Summary
Facility B failed to ensure that a resident who was dependent on staff for activities of daily living (ADLs) received showers according to her preference and the facility's policy. The facility's policy required that showers or baths be given per schedule and that refusals be documented, including the reason. Review of the resident's records showed that she received multiple bed baths over a period of more than two months, with only one documented shower. There was no evidence in the documentation that the resident refused showers or requested bed baths instead. Interviews with staff confirmed that the resident was often given bed baths, and refusals of showers were not documented as required. The resident in question was assessed as severely cognitively impaired on one assessment, but later assessed as cognitively intact. She expressed a preference for showers over bed baths, stating that aides only gave her bed baths. Staff interviews revealed that the resident sometimes screamed or complained during showers, and that staff found it easier to provide bed baths depending on the resident's mood. Both the DON and Administrator confirmed that showers should have been offered per the resident's preference and refusals should have been documented, but this was not done.