Failure to Provide Adequate Personal Hygiene and Grooming for Dependent Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain adequate personal hygiene and grooming for two residents who were dependent on staff for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). Both residents had significant medical conditions, including dementia, Parkinson's disease, hemiplegia, and generalized muscle weakness, which limited their ability to perform self-care. Facility policy required that residents unable to carry out ADLs receive necessary services to maintain good grooming and hygiene. Care plans for both residents specified that they were dependent on staff for grooming tasks such as shaving. However, repeated observations over several days showed that both residents had visible facial hair, indicating that shaving was not consistently provided. Staff interviews revealed that shaving was typically performed on shower days, and residents or their families could request additional grooming if needed. Documentation indicated that both residents received personal hygiene every shift, with no refusals of care recorded. Despite this, the presence of facial hair persisted across multiple observations, and there was no documentation to support that shaving was offered or refused outside of scheduled shower days. The DON confirmed that shaving should have been provided or at least offered and documented if refused, in accordance with facility policy.