Failure to Ensure Resident Access to Clean Clothing and Support Self-Determination
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to promote and facilitate resident self-determination and choice by not ensuring that a resident had access to clean clothing, resulting in the resident wearing the same soiled clothes for two consecutive days. Observations revealed that the resident wore a purple pullover shirt with smudges and food stains, and oversized jeans that repeatedly fell down, on two consecutive days. Upon inspection of the resident's room, no clothing was found in the closet, drawers, or hamper. Interviews with the resident, family, and staff confirmed that the resident had no clean clothes available and had reported missing clothing to the facility. The resident had a history of epilepsy, paranoid schizophrenia, hallucinations, personality disorder, anxiety disorder, delusional disorder, and a very low level of personal hygiene. The care plan indicated the resident required supervision and assistance with personal hygiene and activities of daily living. Despite this, the resident was left without clean clothing, and family members reported multiple instances of the resident having no clothes in the room and wearing soiled garments. The resident's friend, who sometimes assisted with laundry and personal care, also confirmed the lack of available clothing and noted that the only clothes present at one point were not the resident's. Staff interviews revealed that when a resident lacked clothing, the expectation was for staff to obtain clothes from the basement, but this was not consistently done. Some staff were unaware of the resident's lack of clothing, while others acknowledged that clothing was not always transferred to residents' rooms as required. The administrator and DON both stated that residents should have access to clean clothes and that missing clothing should be replaced, but in this case, the resident was left without appropriate clothing for an extended period.