Failure to Maintain Safe, Clean, and Comfortable Environment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment for six of seventeen residents on one of three nursing units and in the main dining room. Observations revealed that a large box fan in a resident's room was covered in dust while actively blowing air toward the resident's bed, indicating a lack of cleanliness and attention to environmental safety. Additionally, during a group interview, multiple residents reported that kitchen staff routinely slammed the kitchen door during meal times and activities, causing discomfort and startle responses among residents. One resident stated that this concern had been reported to the Nursing Home Administrator weeks prior, but the issue persisted. Further observations confirmed that the kitchen entry/exit hallway door repeatedly slammed shut due to its automatic mechanism and the vacuum effect created when the dining room door was kept closed, as instructed by maintenance staff. Staff members working near the door were observed to flinch at the loud noise, and interviews confirmed that both staff and residents were affected by the repeated slamming. The Nursing Home Administrator acknowledged the facility's failure to maintain a safe, clean, and comfortable environment as required by policy and state regulations.