Failure to Provide Routine Fingernail Care for Dependent Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide proper fingernail care for two residents who required assistance with activities of daily living. One resident, who required substantial to maximal staff assistance for personal hygiene, had not had her fingernails trimmed for several months, as documented in her shower sheets. Upon observation, her fingernails were found to be long, jagged, and extended past her fingertips, and she could not recall the last time they were clipped, expressing a desire for them to be trimmed. Another resident, who was severely cognitively impaired and required staff assistance for personal hygiene, also had not had his fingernails trimmed during a similar timeframe. His fingernails were observed to be long, jagged, and extended past his fingertips, and he also expressed a desire for them to be cleaned and trimmed. The facility's own guidelines require routine cleaning and regular trimming of nails, and the DON confirmed that all residents should have their nails cleaned and trimmed as needed with all showers.