Failure to Respond Timely to Resident Requests for Assistance
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide care in a manner that promotes and enhances each resident's dignity and quality of life by not responding in a timely manner to residents' requests for assistance. Multiple residents reported and were observed to have experienced significant delays in staff response to call bells, particularly when in need of incontinence care or assistance with toileting. For example, one resident activated her call bell at 9:41 AM for hygiene care after a bowel movement and did not receive assistance until 12:30 PM, despite her daughter notifying the nurse on duty. Another resident reported frequent waits of over an hour for staff to answer her call bell, resulting in repeated episodes of soiling herself. Observations confirmed that a resident was left in a visibly soiled brief for at least 35 minutes after activating the call bell, with staff entering the room, turning off the call bell, but not providing care until much later. Additional interviews revealed that residents often waited extended periods, sometimes over an hour, for staff to respond to their needs, especially during certain shifts and weekends. In some cases, staff would enter the room, turn off the call bell, and leave without providing the requested assistance, stating they would return but failing to do so in a timely manner. The DON confirmed that staff are not supposed to turn off call bells until care is provided. These actions and inactions resulted in residents being left in soiled conditions and experiencing distress while waiting for basic care needs to be met.