Failure to Provide Scheduled Showers and Document Care for a Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident received showers as scheduled according to her care plan and preferences. Facility policy required that residents be bathed or showered at least twice weekly, or as per their preference, and that refusals be reported to the charge nurse, who would then document the refusal and attempt to make alternative arrangements. For the resident in question, the care plan specified a preference for showers twice weekly on the day shift, with a prompt bed bath and skin checks if a shower was refused. A review of the resident's records, including the bathing detail report and weekly skin sheets over a six-week period, showed no documented evidence that the resident received showers as scheduled or that she refused them, which would have triggered a bed bath. The DON confirmed the lack of documentation and was unable to explain why some days were marked as 'did not occur.' The resident was cognitively impaired, required moderate assistance with bathing, was occasionally incontinent, and had diabetes, all of which were relevant to her care needs at the time of the deficiency.