Failure to Maintain Sanitary and Homelike Environment Due to Water Leakage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a functional, sanitary, and comfortable homelike environment due to ongoing issues with dripping and pooling water in multiple areas. Observations revealed a large area of the first-floor dining room ceiling covered with a black spotted substance, brown staining, visible moisture, and a concaved, bowed ceiling. Brown liquid was observed dripping from the ceiling, leaving stains on the floor, and water was pooling on the windowsill and dripping into the air conditioning unit below. The issue extended to the second-floor dining room, where a heating and air conditioning unit was leaking and pooling water on the floor, and to the basement activities room, where water damage and pooling were also noted. Staff interviews indicated that the problem had been noticed as early as April or May, but the cause was only recently identified as a drainage issue with the second-floor unit, which had been replaced in April. The deficiency had the potential to affect all 49 residents in the facility, including nine residents currently living on the first floor, six of whom were independently mobile. The activities room in the basement, which is used by 12-15 residents for activities and up to 50 people for events, was also impacted by water leakage from above. Facility policy requires a safe, clean, and comfortable environment, but the observed conditions did not meet these standards, as evidenced by the persistent water damage, staining, and unsanitary conditions in resident and public areas.