Failure to Accommodate Resident's Mobility and Bathing Preferences
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when a resident with paraplegia, spina bifida, and morbid obesity, who was cognitively intact and dependent on staff for mobility, was not accommodated according to their expressed needs and preferences. The resident reported being bedbound since admission and expressed a desire to get out of bed and use a wheelchair, as well as to bathe in the whirlpool. Observation confirmed the absence of a wheelchair in or near the resident's room, and the resident had not been assisted out of bed since admission. Interviews with facility staff revealed a lack of communication regarding the resident's preferences. The social services director was unaware of the resident's desire to get up or their bathing preferences. The administrator and DON indicated that therapy was attempting to contact the resident's family to obtain the resident's personal wheelchair, as the facility's available shower chair was unsuitable due to the resident's poor trunk control. The regional clinical director confirmed that therapy was assessing the safety of using a facility wheelchair and that the resident was to discuss the matter with their family. Despite these discussions, the resident remained bedbound and their needs and preferences were not accommodated.