Failure to Provide Prescribed Eyeglasses for Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident received necessary assistive devices to maintain vision, specifically by not obtaining prescription eyeglasses as recommended by an optometrist. The resident, who had diagnoses including Paranoid Schizophrenia, Type 2 Diabetes without complications, and Hypertension, was admitted in January 2024 and had a legal guardian. An eye care consultation was completed with consent from the guardian, and the optometrist recommended new glasses for distance vision, providing a prescription and instructions for the nursing home staff to obtain the glasses. Despite these recommendations, the resident's clinical record and progress notes showed no evidence that the prescription for eyeglasses was filled. The resident remained without glasses, as confirmed by both the resident and facility documentation. The Director of Nursing acknowledged that staff did not follow up on the optometrist's recommendation, and no documentation was provided to show that the necessary steps were taken to acquire the glasses for the resident.