Failure to Provide Appropriate Mechanical Soft Diet Consistency
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide food in the appropriate form for residents on a mechanical soft diet, as required by their physician orders and care plans. Three residents with diagnoses including dysphagia, malnutrition, poor dentition, and feeding difficulties were observed to have received food items inconsistent with their prescribed mechanical soft diets. Specifically, one resident was served regular sliced turkey instead of ground turkey, and multiple residents received canned mixed fruit containing pineapple tidbits, which was not permitted according to the facility's mechanical soft diet guidelines. During tray line observation, dietary tickets indicated the correct diet, but the actual food served did not match the required consistency for mechanical soft diets. Staff, including a dietary coordinator, confirmed that the meals provided to these residents did not meet the prescribed dietary modifications. The issue was identified before the trays reached the residents, and the incorrect food items were replaced after intervention by the surveyor. Interviews with facility staff, including a speech therapist, confirmed that residents on mechanical soft diets should receive ground meats and soft canned fruits that are easy to chew. The speech therapist also noted that she had observed residents receiving the wrong diet consistency at times. The deficiency was identified through observation, record review, and staff interviews, and it affected all residents observed for mechanical soft diets during the survey.