Failure to Provide Activities Meeting Resident Preferences on Dementia Unit
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident with severe cognitive impairment and multiple diagnoses, including Alzheimer's disease, congestive heart failure, glaucoma, kidney disease, and anxiety, was offered activities that met her preferences. The resident's care plan identified her interests in reading, music, being around animals, keeping up with the news, participating in group activities, getting fresh air, and attending religious services. Despite these documented preferences and care plan interventions, review of the activity calendars for several months revealed no scheduled activities for the locked dementia unit where the resident resided. Additionally, documentation and staff interviews confirmed that the resident participated in very few group activities and that activity staff did not routinely remind or encourage residents to attend group events. The activity director acknowledged that staff availability limited the ability of residents on the locked unit to attend activities held outside the unit and that there was no evidence that the resident's specific interests were consistently offered or provided. Observations over multiple days showed the resident frequently alone and not engaged in activities, despite her enjoyment of social interaction and participation in music, art, and games when these were available. The resident's guardian also reported finding her alone during visits and needing to encourage her to leave her room. The activity participation records indicated only occasional one-on-one activities, and the activity calendar did not reflect any scheduled events for the locked dementia unit. The deficiency was confirmed through record review, observation, and interviews, demonstrating a lack of activities tailored to the resident's preferences and needs.