Failure to Maintain Functional Window Blinds for Resident Comfort and Privacy
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a resident's window blind was found to be broken and unable to fully cover the window, resulting in the resident being exposed to light from the parking lot at night, which disrupted her sleep. The resident, who had a history of insomnia, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, and was assessed as having moderate cognitive impairment, reported that she had requested staff to fix the blinds for more than a week without resolution. Multiple interviews with staff, including nursing assistants, housekeeping, and maintenance, confirmed that broken blinds were a recurring issue in the facility, and that the problem had been reported to supervisors and maintenance, but remained unresolved for this resident. Observations over several days confirmed that the blinds in the resident's room remained broken, and staff acknowledged that functioning blinds were important for resident privacy and comfort. The facility's own policy required housekeeping and maintenance services to maintain a sanitary, orderly, and comfortable environment, but this was not achieved in this instance, as the resident continued to experience discomfort and lack of privacy due to the unresolved maintenance issue.