F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
D

Failure to Maintain Cleanliness and Timely Linen Changes for Residents

Autumn Lake Healthcare At Ballenger CreekFrederick, Maryland Survey Completed on 06-30-2025

Summary

The facility failed to provide a clean, comfortable, and homelike environment for its residents, as evidenced by multiple observations and interviews. One resident's room was found to have dark debris, dried food particles, and dried sticky fluid on the floor, which had reportedly been present for at least two weeks. Both a housekeeping technician and the director of environmental services confirmed the room's unclean condition and acknowledged that resident rooms were supposed to be cleaned daily, but this had not occurred. Another resident, who is dependent on staff for total care due to a history of stroke and has a BIMS score of 15, reported that their bed linens were not changed regularly, typically only every couple of weeks. Over several days, surveyors observed the resident's bed linens to be visibly stained, soiled, and containing skin debris, food particles, and a urine-soaked incontinence pad. Despite the facility's policy to change linens on shower days and when soiled, the resident's sheets remained unchanged for several days, as confirmed by both the resident and staff interviews.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0584 citations
Soiled Mattress and Tray-Based Meal Service
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A resident with moderate cognitive impairment and extensive ADL needs was found with urine-soiled bedding, an unmade bed, and a mattress that was torn and heavily stained, with staff stating the damage had been present for a while. On the secured unit, all observed residents were served meals on plastic trays holding their plates, utensils, and drinks instead of having items placed directly on the table, and staff and the DON confirmed this was the routine practice.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unsafe Room Flooring and Loose Bathroom Sinks
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A facility failed to maintain a safe, homelike environment when a resident room had broken and missing floor tile exposing the wood underneath, and two bathrooms had sinks coming away from the wall and loose enough to move when pressure was applied. One resident said the floor had been bad for some time and had been reported without being addressed, and an LPN later confirmed the damaged flooring and loose sinks.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Furniture Not Kept in Good Repair
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Furniture Not Kept in Good Repair: Armchairs in multiple resident rooms and chairs in the front sitting area were observed with torn or cracked upholstery exposing cloth material. The Maintenance Director stated the furniture was not in good repair and had not been notified of the damage, while the Administrator stated staff were to remove furniture with tears.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unclean refrigerator and tray service during dining
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A facility failed to maintain a clean, homelike environment when a refrigerator used for resident supplement drinks had significant ice buildup with an unknown item in it, and staff were unsure who was responsible for cleaning or reporting it. In addition, meals were repeatedly served on trays and left in front of residents during dining, which an RN and the VPS confirmed had been occurring for some time and was not homelike.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Failure to Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures: Several residents were found in hot, stuffy rooms with weak or nonworking AC units, and room temps were measured above 81 F, including one room at 89.5 F. Residents reported feeling hot and uncomfortable, and some were not offered a room change while the issue persisted. The facility did not follow its Hot Weather policy for relocating residents to cooler areas and monitoring room temps.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Excessive Ambient Temperatures at Nurses' Stations
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Excessive ambient temperatures were observed at the 100/200 and 300/400 nurses' stations when the wall thermostat and facility temperature monitoring device both showed readings in the low 80s. The surveyor verified the readings with the Facility Maintenance Director while residents were seated in nearby common areas.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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