Inconsistent Snack Delivery Between Meals
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to consistently provide snacks between meals as required by its own schedule, which called for snacks to be offered at 10:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M., and 7:00 P.M. daily. Observations and interviews revealed that snacks were not always delivered to the long-term care unit, particularly in the mornings and evenings. Staff and residents reported that snacks were sometimes missed entirely, and when they were delivered, they were placed at the nursing station rather than being distributed to residents. This led to situations where some residents, especially those unable to go to the nursing station, did not receive snacks, and others took multiple snacks, resulting in shortages. Two residents were specifically identified as being affected by this deficiency. One resident, with diagnoses including diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer, reported relying on personal snacks and noted that facility-provided snacks were inconsistently available, especially in the evenings. Another resident, with heart failure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and malnutrition, also kept personal snacks and stated that facility snacks were left at the nursing station and not distributed by staff. Both residents were alert, oriented, and able to eat independently, but the inconsistent snack delivery impacted their access to facility-provided nourishment between meals. Interviews with various staff members, including CNAs, dietary aides, and nursing staff, confirmed that snack delivery was inconsistent and sometimes missed due to staff changes and lack of communication. Dietary staff were not always aware when snacks were not delivered, and there was confusion about responsibilities for distributing snacks to residents who could not retrieve them themselves. The dietary manager and assistant director of nursing acknowledged that snacks were supposed to be offered three times daily but were not always provided as scheduled.