Failure to Maintain Shower Bed Limits Resident Bathing Options
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain equipment used for activities of daily living (ADLs), specifically a bariatric shower bed, in good working condition. One resident with chronic diastolic congestive heart failure and severe obesity, who was totally dependent on staff for bathing, was unable to receive showers due to the broken shower bed. The resident expressed a preference for showers over bed baths, but had not received a shower since the equipment became unusable. Observation confirmed the resident's hair was oily, and interviews with staff indicated the shower bed had been out of service for approximately two to three months due to broken wheel bearings. Staff, including a CNA and the ADON, confirmed that both this resident and another who required the bariatric shower bed were only receiving bed baths because the facility had no other suitable equipment. The maintenance director acknowledged the bearings had been worn out for about a month and that replacement parts had arrived but had not yet been installed. Review of shower records corroborated that the resident had not received a shower since the time the shower bed broke, and bed baths were provided instead.