Failure to Provide Required Mealtime Assistance
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when staff failed to provide appropriate assistance with meals for a resident diagnosed with heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and dementia, who had moderately impaired cognition as indicated by a BIMS score of 12. The resident's care plan and meal ticket both specified that staff were to cut food into small pieces at mealtimes. However, during an observation, the resident was seen sitting in a wheelchair at bedside, attempting to tear apart a whole chicken breast with their fingers, indicating that staff had not followed the care plan instructions. A nurse aide confirmed that the resident was not provided the required assistance, and the DON also acknowledged the failure to comply with the care plan. The facility's policy on the flow of care, which requires continuous implementation to promote quality of life and mandates that the charge nurse evaluate compliance, was not followed in this instance. This resulted in the resident not receiving the necessary support to maintain their ability to perform activities of daily living, specifically during mealtime.