Failure to Serve Meal Timely to Resident Requiring Assistance
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to treat a resident who required assistance with eating in a dignified manner. On multiple occasions, the resident was seated at a dining table with two other residents who were served their meals and began eating while the resident waited, able to observe them eating but not being served herself. The resident remained unserved for extended periods, with breakfast and lunch being delayed until after the other residents had finished their meals. Staff only retrieved and assisted the resident with her meal after the others were done eating. Interviews with facility staff revealed that assistance for the resident was delayed due to competing priorities, such as responding to other residents' needs. Dietary staff waited for aides to be available before serving and assisting the resident, resulting in the resident not being served at the same time as her tablemates. The facility's policy required residents to be treated with respect and dignity, and to have their individuality recognized, but this was not followed in the observed incidents.