F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
E

Resident Council Concern About Staff Name Tags Not Resolved

Southeast Rehabilitation & Skilled Care CenterNorth Easton, Massachusetts Survey Completed on 07-31-2025

Summary

The facility failed to ensure grievances and concerns from the Resident Council about staff members not wearing name tags were acted upon to resolve the issue. The facility’s grievance policy stated residents have the right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal, and the staff handbook required all employees to wear nametags at all times. Resident Council minutes dated 5/16/25 documented the concern about staff not wearing name tags, but no follow-up was indicated. Minutes dated 6/25/25 again documented the concern and noted a follow-up form with a resolution to in-service staff on all shifts. During observations on 7/24/25, surveyors saw multiple staff members without visible name tags, including a CNA with her tag in her pocket, another CNA who pulled her tag from her pocket when asked her name, and two nurses who said they should have been wearing their tags. Staff told the surveyor that name tags should be worn and visible so residents and visitors can identify them. In a resident group meeting with 17 residents, residents said they repeatedly raised the concern each month, that it remained a problem across shifts, and that it made it difficult to identify caregivers and file grievances or concerns when staff could not be identified. The DON later stated staff are educated on the name tag policy during orientation and acknowledged the issue remained ongoing.

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 F0565 citations
Failure to Initiate Grievance for Resident Council Concerns
D
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

A facility failed to initiate a grievance for concerns raised during a resident council meeting. Residents reported that concerns were not consistently resolved, including getting residents out of bed for meals and activities and shortages of washcloths and towels. Review of grievance logs showed no matching grievances, and the Activities Director stated a grievance should have been initiated.

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.
Resident Council Meetings Not Held Regularly
E
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident council meetings were not held regularly, and no minutes or meetings were found for an extended period. A resident said the council had not met consistently since new ownership, and an admin staff member said she had only arranged one meeting in the past three months and did not know where the minutes were. An admin nurse was unsure whether meetings were occurring, while the facility policy stated it supports residents' rights to participate in a Resident Council.

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.
Resident Council Meetings Held Without Privacy
E
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident Council Meetings Held Without Privacy: A confidential resident group meeting was normally held in an upstairs dining room that had no doors or solid walls separating it from the open nurses' station or nearby hallways. Residents said they did not feel able to speak freely because staff could hear them and people could walk in and out. The Activity Director said she continued using that space because it had always been held there, and the Administrator stated the meeting should have been held in a private area. The facility had no specific policy on Resident Council meeting privacy.

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.
Resident Council Concerns Were Not Consistently Documented or Resolved
F
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident council concerns were not thoroughly documented, effectively addressed, or resolved. Repeated complaints involved dietary issues, housekeeping, laundry, CNA cell phone use, poor room cleaning, wrong or wrinkled clothing, lack of notification about a spouse’s ambulance transfer, and frequent dining room closures. Residents and an LPN reported that the same problems kept recurring, the kitchen often ran out of items, menus were wrong, and food quality remained poor, while the DON and Administrator said the issues were addressed to the best of their ability.

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.
Family Concern About Resident Face Bruising Was Not Timely Addressed
D
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia and other psychiatric and neurologic diagnoses developed bruising and swelling on the face after reportedly being hit by a hairbrush. CNA and LPN assessed the resident, and the physician and DON were notified. The resident’s family later raised concerns about the bruising, but the DON had no documented follow-up or resolution, and the family reported they never heard back about the concern.

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.
Resident Council Grievances Not Acted On or Logged
E
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident Council concerns were not properly acted on, documented, or resolved. Meeting minutes showed repeated complaints about late meal trays, shower frequency, tough meats, missing condiments, and food requests not being followed, but the grievance log had no entries for these issues and no grievance forms were completed. The Activity Director stated grievances were not done for Resident Council as a whole, and residents reported the concerns had not improved.

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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