Failure to Maintain Resident Property Inventory and Investigate Lost Item
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect a resident's property and provide a safe environment by not maintaining an inventory of the resident's belongings and not investigating a reported lost item. A resident with intact cognition and impaired visual function reported a missing ring to both staff and family. The care plan for this resident directed staff to inform the resident where items were placed due to visual impairment. Documentation showed that staff searched the room and contacted laundry, and the resident's family involved the state police. However, there was no evidence that a formal inventory of the resident's belongings was completed at admission, nor was there documentation of a grievance or investigation into the missing ring. Interviews with current staff, including the Social Services Director and the Nursing Home Administrator, confirmed the absence of an inventory list and a lack of documentation regarding the grievance or its resolution. Staff recalled being notified about the missing ring and informing the previous Social Services Director, but could not confirm if any follow-up or formal grievance process occurred. The facility's policy required completion of an inventory list at admission and a documented grievance process for missing items, but these procedures were not followed in this case.