F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
E

Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity

Pines Nursing And RehabEaston, Maryland Survey Completed on 09-04-2025

Summary

The facility failed to ensure residents were provided a dignified existence in multiple situations involving privacy, timely assistance, meal service, restroom access, staff identification, and personal care. During an interview in a resident’s room, a GNA entered after a rapid knock, opened the door immediately, and yelled that it was her before going to the roommate’s side of the room. The resident reported not remembering the GNA’s name. The GNA stated she should have identified herself when entering the room, and the DON stated staff are expected to provide privacy, introduce themselves when entering a resident’s room, and ask permission to come in. The facility also failed to provide timely and respectful assistance to a resident who urgently needed to urinate. The resident asked a GNA to take him/her to the room because he/she had to pee badly, but the GNA did not respond, walked away, and later told the resident to hold on. The resident continued yelling for help, was pushed back to the room without explanation, and then waited while staff searched for a urine receptacle. The resident remained anxious, yelled for help, and was told the unit was out of urine receptacles. The GNA stated she was not looking for the receptacle and said she had to check on her residents, adding that the resident was not her resident. The unit manager stated it was unacceptable to say it was not my resident and that all staff are there to help all residents. Meal service and feeding assistance were also delayed for multiple residents. One resident who required feeding assistance was seated at a table while other residents were actively eating, but did not have a meal tray in front of him/her. The GNA stated the resident was a feeder and that she had been instructed to distribute all trays to other residents before beginning to serve and assist residents who required help with feeding. In another observation, several residents sat in the dining room watching others eat while waiting over an hour for the second meal cart to arrive. The RN confirmed there was a delay between meal carts, and the NHA acknowledged the delay when informed. Additional dignity concerns included a resident being entered without knocking, residents stating they were restricted from using the public restrooms off the lobby, staff not wearing name badges, a GNA using a personal cell phone inside a resident room, and a resident receiving G-tube feeding while oral secretions drooled onto the gown and dry yellowish mucous was observed in the mouth and on the gown. These observations were documented during survey interviews and direct observations.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

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See other F0550 citations
Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity During Catheter Care and Dining
E
F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Short Summary

Failure to maintain resident dignity was identified when three residents with indwelling urinary catheters had drainage bags hanging on the bedframe without privacy covers, despite physician orders for privacy covers every shift. In addition, a resident who was ordered to be fed by staff was observed being fed by a nurse aide standing beside the bed during lunch, and the DON confirmed the dining experience was not dignified.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity During Dressing Assistance
D
F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia, anxiety, and osteoarthritis was observed sitting naked on the bed in full view of the hallway while a CNA assisted with dressing. The care plan directed staff to assist with dressing, and the CNA stated the curtain had not been pulled after returning the resident from the bathroom. The ED confirmed the facility failed to maintain the resident's dignity.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Provide Dignified Dining Experience
E
F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Short Summary

Failure to provide a dignified dining experience: Four residents with significant diagnoses, including Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, TBI, and dysphagia, were brought to the assistive dining room for lunch but were not served their trays until more than 50 minutes after the posted mealtime. While other residents were already being assisted with eating, these residents were left watching the meal service, and the DON stated they should have been served at the same time as the others or not brought in until their trays were ready.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Protect Resident Dignity During Insulin Administration
D
F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Short Summary

A facility failed to protect the dignity of two residents when an LPN administered insulin injections in the commons area in full view of surveyors, staff, and other residents. The LPN lifted each resident’s shirt, cleansed the injection site, and gave the subcutaneous insulin injection publicly rather than in a private area.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Late Meal Service and Public Medication Administration
E
F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia, depression, and anxiety was seated in the dining room while other residents ate, but the lunch tray was not served with the group on two occasions. In a separate event, an LVN administered oral meds to another resident with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy in the dining room while wearing gloves, rather than in a private setting, which staff stated was not the facility’s practice and could be seen as disrespectful.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unauthorized Shaving of Resident's Beard
E
F0550 F550: Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia and Alzheimer's disease had his beard completely shaved by two CNAs without his RP's consent. The RP stated the resident had worn his beard for many years and had not been seen without it, and the DON stated the RP should have been notified because the resident lacked capacity to make decisions for himself. The facility policy required staff to ask the resident or, when appropriate, the resident representative about grooming preferences upon admission.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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