Failure to Accommodate Resident Food Preferences and Dietary Restrictions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents' food preferences and dietary restrictions were consistently honored, as evidenced by multiple incidents involving three residents. One resident, who had previously communicated a dislike for pork to the dietician, was repeatedly served pork products such as ham and bacon. Despite staff notifying the kitchen and requesting substitutions, the resident continued to receive meals containing pork, and the dietary slip on the food tray did not accurately reflect the resident's preferences. Communication barriers between kitchen staff and dietary management contributed to the ongoing issue, as changes or preferences were not reliably updated on meal tickets. Another resident expressed dissatisfaction with the use of egg substitutes instead of real eggs and reported that requests for eggs prepared differently were ignored. The Food Service Director and Regional Director of Food Services confirmed that only egg substitutes were used due to cost considerations, but stated that special requests could be accommodated if made. However, the resident's requests were not fulfilled, indicating a lack of follow-through on stated accommodations. A third resident, who had documented dislikes for several foods including wheat, tuna, and chicken, was served meals containing these items on multiple occasions. The resident had to request alternative meals, which sometimes still included disliked foods. Review of the resident's food preference form showed that their dislikes were not fully reflected on the meal slips. Staff interviews revealed inconsistent processes for communicating food preferences to the kitchen, with some staff unable to locate the necessary forms or relying on verbal communication, which was not always effective.