Failure to Safeguard and Document Residents' Personal Possessions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the safety and proper documentation of residents' personal possessions, as required by its own policies. For four sampled residents, inventory sheets were either incomplete or missing, and there was no consistent documentation of personal belongings upon admission or when new items were brought in. The facility's policies required the laundry department and nursing staff to mark and account for each item of clothing and personal property, but these procedures were not reliably followed. In several cases, there was no record of valuable items such as a faux fur blanket, makeup bags, perfume, an electric toothbrush, a gold wedding band, wallets, or cash, despite residents or their families reporting these items as missing. One resident, who was cognitively intact and dependent on staff for transfers, reported missing $700 worth of personal belongings, including a faux fur blanket that was taken to the laundry and not returned. The resident felt the facility was not taking the loss seriously and had not provided updates. Another resident, also cognitively intact and newly admitted to hospice, was reported by staff and family to have been wearing a gold wedding band, which was missing after the resident's death. Staff searched for the ring but could not locate it, and there was no documentation of the ring on the inventory sheet or in progress notes. Additional deficiencies included a resident with moderate cognitive impairment who reported a missing wallet with cash, and another resident who reported missing $100 from a wallet, despite refusing to keep money in the resident trust account. In both cases, inventory sheets did not accurately reflect the presence or loss of these items, and there was no documentation in progress notes regarding the missing property. Interviews with staff and administration revealed inconsistent practices and a lack of clarity regarding responsibility for maintaining and updating inventory records, as well as for ensuring the security of residents' personal property.