Failure to Honor Resident Dignity and Personal Preferences
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that two residents were treated with respect and dignity, as required by resident rights regulations. In the first instance, a resident with severe cognitive impairment and multiple diagnoses, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia, was subjected to inappropriate actions by a Qualified Medication Aide (QMA). The QMA sprayed the resident's hair and face with wound cleanser and then marked the resident's forehead with a marker while at the nurse's station. Multiple staff members witnessed the incident, and statements confirmed that the resident's face was wiped off after being sprayed and the marker was removed with a wet wipe. The resident was known to require maximal assistance with personal hygiene and was at risk for psychosocial distress. In the second instance, another resident with severe cognitive impairment and a history of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and dementia, had his facial hair and eyebrows shaved off without consent. Staff statements indicated that a QMA shaved the resident's eyebrows and facial hair, later claiming it was accidental and that she was attempting to match the eyebrows after shaving one off. The resident's legal guardian and daughter confirmed that the resident always preferred to have facial hair and had not requested the removal of his beard, mustache, or eyebrows. The resident himself stated he did not give permission for the shaving. Both incidents were corroborated by staff witness statements and interviews, as well as documentation in the residents' clinical records. The actions taken by staff in both cases were not aligned with the residents' preferences or rights to dignity and self-determination, as outlined in the facility's own resident rights documentation.