Failure to Honor Visitation Rights Between Family Members
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide visitation rights to two cognitively intact sisters, both residents, who wished to visit each other. One sister resided on a secured third-floor unit and the other on the first floor. Despite both residents having no behavioral issues and care plans that encouraged socialization and family involvement, there were no interventions or documentation in their care plans addressing their right to visit each other. The sister on the third floor repeatedly expressed her desire to visit her twin to both nursing and social services staff, but her requests were ignored or dismissed, and she was not allowed to visit her sister for an extended period. During the survey, the resident again requested to see her sister and voiced her frustration about being denied visitation, especially when other residents were allowed visitors. Staff responses were inadequate, with one staff member deflecting responsibility and another ignoring the request. Only after the resident insisted during a group meeting with surveyors and staff was she finally allowed to visit her sister. The facility's own policy states that residents have the right to receive visitors of their choosing, including immediate family, at any time, yet this policy was not followed in the case of these two residents.