Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity During Meal Assistance
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to ensure that three residents were cared for with dignity and respect during daily care and meal assistance. Specifically, staff members repeatedly referred to residents who required assistance with eating as "feeders" in the presence of other residents and staff. For example, a CNA and an RN discussed which residents were "feeders" within earshot of a resident, and an LPN referred to another resident as a "feeder" outside the resident's room, where the resident could potentially hear. Additionally, during a dining observation, a CNA training a new staff member identified a resident as a "feeder" in a loud voice in the dining room, in front of other residents and staff. The residents involved had varying degrees of cognitive impairment, with two being severely cognitively impaired and one cognitively intact. Their care plans indicated the need for assistance with eating due to conditions such as dysphagia and decreased strength. The facility's own policy emphasized the right of residents to be treated with respect and dignity at all times, but the observed staff actions did not align with this policy, resulting in a failure to honor residents' rights to a dignified existence and self-determination.