Failure to Return Resident's Personal Belongings at Discharge
Penalty
Summary
A resident with dementia, who was unable to make consistent and reasonable decisions and had a family member as a surrogate decision maker, was discharged from the facility without her personal belongings. The resident's inventory of personal effects, which included clothing, glasses, a phone, and other personal items, was not signed or acknowledged by the resident, her responsible party, or family member at the time of discharge. Interviews revealed that both the family member and responsible party were only informed of the discharge on the day it occurred and were not notified about the disposition of the resident's belongings. The facility's own policies required staff to prepare an inventory at discharge, provide a copy to the resident or representative, and obtain a signature, but this was not done. Upon arrival at the new care facility, the resident had only the clothes she was wearing, a list of medications, and an insurance card, with no other personal items provided. The receiving facility owner confirmed that the resident arrived without any belongings. Facility staff interviews indicated that it was the responsibility of the registered nurse supervisor and social services director to ensure notification and proper handling of personal effects, but this process was not followed. The facility's policies also required reasonable steps to protect and return personal property to residents or their representatives upon discharge, which was not adhered to in this case.