Failure to Provide Home-Like Dining Experience and Resident Choice
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a home-like dining experience for its residents, as required by its own Dining and Food Service policy. Surveyors observed that meals were served on disposable Styrofoam dishware in several wings, rather than on non-disposable plates. Multiple staff members, including CNAs and dietary staff, confirmed that disposable dishware had been used for several months, primarily due to kitchen staffing shortages. The Director of Nursing was unaware of the ongoing use of disposable dishware, and the Nursing Home Administrator was only partially aware, knowing that sandwiches were served in foil but not that all meals were being served on disposables. Residents with intact cognition, including those with diagnoses such as metabolic encephalopathy, asthma, diabetes, and congestive heart failure, expressed dissatisfaction with the dining experience. One resident stated a preference for real plates and indicated a desire to be asked about eating in the dining room, even though they preferred to eat in their room. Another resident, who had difficulty walking, expressed a wish to be offered the option to eat in the dining room and to be assisted there by staff. These preferences were not routinely solicited or accommodated by facility staff. Surveyors directly observed that while some meals in the 100 wing dining room were served on non-disposable plates, dinner service in the 300 and 400 wings, as well as supper in the 100 wing dining room, utilized disposable dishware. Some food items were not covered, and sandwiches were served in foil wrappers. Staff interviews confirmed that the use of disposable dishware was a directive from the Dietary Supervisor due to staffing issues, and that this practice had been ongoing for several months. The facility's failure to provide a home-like dining environment and to offer residents choices regarding their dining location constituted a deficiency.