Failure to Maintain Clean, Sanitary, and Homelike Resident Rooms and Privacy Curtains
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain resident rooms and privacy curtains in a clean, sanitary, and homelike condition for 12 out of 71 rooms observed. Observations revealed multiple rooms with scuff marks, torn sheet rock, missing paint, loose or peeling baseboards, chipped plaster, and missing trim. Privacy curtains in several rooms were found to be soiled with an unknown brown substance, and some rooms had missing or damaged fixtures such as lighting and closet doors. These conditions were directly observed during the survey and confirmed by interviews with staff, residents, and family members. Facility policies required maintenance and housekeeping services to ensure a safe, clean, and comfortable environment, including routine cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas and privacy curtains. However, interviews with the Maintenance Director and Environmental Services staff revealed that repairs were made on an as-needed basis without a written plan, and there was inconsistency in the cleaning and laundering of privacy curtains. Staff could not recall the last time privacy curtains were removed for laundering, and some curtains were confirmed to be visibly soiled and in need of cleaning or replacement. Residents and family members reported that the disrepair and unclean conditions had persisted for extended periods, with one resident stating the walls had been in poor condition since their admission over a year ago. The Maintenance Director acknowledged awareness of the disrepair in the identified rooms, and the Regional Director of Operations for Environmental Services confirmed that the soiled privacy curtains had not been adequately addressed. No performance improvement plans were in place at the time of the survey.