Failure to Respond to Resident Council Concerns
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to establish and maintain a system to respond to and promptly resolve concerns raised by the Resident Council. Review of Resident Council meeting minutes from April and May showed that concerns regarding food temperature were documented, but the required Resident Council Action Forms were either left blank or not completed. These forms are intended to document the concern, the response, and the action plan, but in both instances, there was no record of follow-up or resolution. Interviews with the Life Enrichment Director revealed that while concerns were sometimes verbally communicated to other departments, there was no documentation of these interactions or any evidence that the concerns were addressed or resolved. Further interviews with residents indicated uncertainty about whether their concerns were ever responded to following council meetings. Dietary staff and the Food Services Director were unaware of the food temperature complaints, and no new processes had been implemented to address the issue. The facility's policy requires that concerns and recommendations from the Resident Council be acted upon and communicated back to the council, but this was not done for the concerns raised in April and May. The lack of documentation and follow-up demonstrates a failure to honor residents' rights to organize and participate in resident groups and to have their concerns addressed.