Failure to Maintain Safe and Comfortable Temperatures on Memory Care Unit
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain comfortable and safe temperature levels for all 27 residents on the memory care unit. Residents reported that the unit had been very cold recently, and staff confirmed that the heat was turned off earlier in May. Observations showed residents in common areas and their rooms dressed in long sleeves, sweaters, and using blankets, with ambient air temperatures ranging from 68 to 71 degrees. The dining room and several resident rooms were specifically noted to be on the lower end of this range, with some rooms as cold as 68 degrees. Staff interviews confirmed that the heating system, which is a boiler system, was routinely shut off in May, and that the facility often struggles to maintain comfortable temperatures during transitional months. Despite staff ordering warming blankets for residents due to the cold weather, these had not yet arrived at the time of the survey. Staff also used a portable heating element behind the nursing station to address the cold, primarily for staff comfort. The Maintenance Director and Administrator acknowledged the limitations of the facility's heating and cooling system and the impact on resident comfort, especially when outside temperatures dropped overnight. The deficiency was identified during a complaint investigation and was substantiated by both resident and staff interviews as well as direct temperature measurements.