Failure to Provide Accessible Call Light for Dependent Resident
Penalty
Summary
A dependent resident was found in bed without a call light cord attached to the call light switch on the wall, making it difficult for her to summon assistance. The resident reported having to raise her bed and use her pillow to repeatedly hit the wall switch behind her head to activate the call light, a situation that had persisted for one month. The resident was assessed as having full cognitive function with a BIMS score of 15 out of 15. Nursing staff indicated that maintenance requests are documented in a binder at the nurse's station, but the last recorded maintenance report was from the previous year. Although the nurse stated that maintenance had been notified about the missing call light cord, maintenance staff reported only being informed of the issue on the day of the survey. The facility's policy requires daily checks of call lights, immediate reporting of defects, and ensuring residents have access to a functional call light at all times.