Resident Seated at Inappropriately High Dining Table During Meal
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident with multiple diagnoses, including dementia and diabetes mellitus, was seated at a dining room table that was too high for comfortable eating during a lunch meal. The resident's Minimum Data Set indicated severely impaired cognition and a need for set up or clean-up assistance with eating, and the care plan identified moderate nutritional risk with interventions to assist the resident to the dining room for meals and provide queuing and feeding assistance as needed. During observation, staff placed the resident's lunch tray on a table that was at chest level, making it difficult for the resident to eat comfortably. A licensed nurse confirmed the table was too high, and the Director of Nursing stated that staff are expected to assist residents to a comfortable position while dining. The facility's policy required assistance with meals as needed, but this was not provided in this instance.