Failure to Ensure Resident Access to Mail
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect a resident's right to send and receive mail when staff withheld the resident's mail for a period of seven months. The resident, who had a diagnosis of depression and was determined to have capacity to make her own decisions, reported waiting for important correspondence from her insurance and law enforcement, which caused her distress. The Activities Director confirmed that activities staff had been withholding the resident's mail since her admission, based on an incorrect belief about her decision-making capacity, despite documentation indicating otherwise. The Director of Nursing acknowledged that residents have the right to receive mail and that mail should be delivered directly to residents when appropriate. Facility policy required mail to be delivered to residents within 24 hours of receipt.