Failure to Provide Private Space for Resident Council Meetings
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide residents with a private space for resident council meetings, as required by their own policy and resident rights regulations. Observations showed that during the resident council meeting, staff and family members repeatedly entered the meeting space, which was held in the assisted dining room. Despite residents informing staff that a meeting was in progress and requesting privacy, staff continued to enter the room. Interviews with residents confirmed that these interruptions were a regular occurrence, and that requests for privacy were not respected. The administrator and other staff acknowledged that the meetings were always held in the dining room and that this was the first time the meeting was moved to the small dining room, which still did not provide adequate privacy due to ongoing interruptions. Interviews with the administrator, assistant director, and DON revealed that all were trained on resident rights and understood the requirement for a private meeting space for resident council. However, they were either unaware of the residents' requests for more privacy or did not take effective action to ensure a private environment. The facility's policy stated that a private space would be provided for resident council meetings, but this was not implemented in practice, as evidenced by the repeated intrusions during the meeting and staff statements that there was nothing the facility could do to prevent these interruptions.