Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity During Mealtime Assistance
Penalty
Summary
Staff members failed to maintain resident dignity during mealtime assistance by not following facility protocols that require CNAs to sit at eye level with residents while feeding them. Multiple observations showed CNAs standing over residents while assisting with meals, mixing food, and intermittently leaving the residents unattended. In one instance, a CNA stood while feeding a resident, left to retrieve a meal tray, returned to stir the food, and then left again to assist another resident, before finally returning to continue feeding. These actions were observed to occur without the CNA sitting down to maintain eye contact or provide focused attention. Additionally, staff were observed conversing with each other about work matters instead of focusing on the residents they were assisting. Interviews with CNAs confirmed awareness that they should be sitting beside residents to ensure comfort and effective communication. An LPN interviewed was unsure of the proper procedure but acknowledged that residents should not feel intimidated. The DON confirmed that the facility's practice is for staff to sit at eye level with residents during meal assistance to promote dignity and communication. These observations and interviews demonstrate a failure to provide care in a manner that maintains resident dignity for all residents requiring meal assistance.