Failure to Provide Menu Access and Food Choices to Bed or Chair Bound Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all residents, including those who are bed or chair bound, had access to the weekly menu and list of alternative meal choices. Menus were posted only outside the kitchen, making them inaccessible to residents with physical limitations. Two residents with decision-making capacity and varying levels of assistance required for eating reported not being aware of the menu or alternative choices, and stated they had not been offered food options since admission. Both residents indicated they would have liked to know about or choose different food items, but instead ate what was served to them without being informed of alternatives. Interviews with staff confirmed that menus were only available on the wall outside the kitchen, and that Certified Nursing Assistants could bring menus to residents if requested. However, this process relied on residents knowing to ask, which did not occur for the affected individuals. Facility policies indicated that residents have the right to communication and access to services, and that menus should reflect resident choices, but these were not followed in practice for residents with physical limitations.