Failure to Provide Scheduled Bathing and Hygiene Assistance Due to Staffing Shortages
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide necessary assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), specifically in maintaining grooming and personal hygiene, for three residents who required varying levels of support with bathing. Facility records and interviews revealed that these residents, all cognitively intact and with documented physical limitations such as Parkinson's disease, impaired balance, and muscle weakness, did not consistently receive showers or baths as outlined in their care plans. Documentation showed multiple missed opportunities for scheduled showers over several weeks, with some residents missing up to six out of nine scheduled showers in a month. Residents reported not receiving the required twice-weekly showers, despite requesting assistance from staff. They described feeling unclean, experiencing embarrassment due to body odor, and, in one case, developing yeast rashes attributed to inadequate hygiene. Staff interviews confirmed that residents were not being bathed as required, citing chronic short staffing as the primary reason. CNAs and LPNs acknowledged that some residents went weeks without bathing, and that complaints from residents about missed showers were ongoing and unresolved. The facility's own policies required that residents unable to perform ADLs independently receive necessary services to maintain hygiene, and that showers be provided according to resident needs and facility protocols. However, both staff and the facility administrator confirmed that there were no assigned staff to ensure residents received their scheduled baths or showers, resulting in unmet care needs and repeated resident complaints. The Ombudsman also reported receiving numerous complaints regarding lack of bathing at the facility.