Resident's Right to Self-Determination Not Honored
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident was not allowed to exercise her right to make important care-related decisions, specifically regarding her preferred time to get up in the morning. The resident, who was moderately cognitively impaired and diagnosed with Mixed Anxiety Disorder, expressed on multiple occasions that she did not want to get up early and preferred to sleep in. Despite her requests, staff required her to get up early, citing her daughter's wishes for her to be up for all meals. The resident reported feeling that her preferences were not honored, and this was confirmed during interviews with both the resident and staff. Staff interviews revealed that the resident was on a predetermined list to be awakened early by the night shift, which began getting residents up around 5:30 AM. The LPN acknowledged that the resident had voiced her desire to sleep in and recognized that it was the resident's right to make such care choices. The Director of Nursing also confirmed that the resident should be able to make decisions about her care, such as choosing when to get up. Facility policy review supported the resident's right to exercise self-determination, but this right was not upheld in this instance.