Failure to Provide Timely Bed Accommodation for Resident
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to provide reasonable accommodation for a resident's needs and preferences regarding bed size. The resident, an elderly male with multiple diagnoses including encephalopathy, type 2 diabetes mellitus, vascular dementia, depressive disorder, cataract, atherosclerotic heart disease, heart failure, unsteadiness, and reduced mobility, required a longer bed due to his height, as his feet were pressing against the footboard of the standard bed. The resident's family made multiple requests for a longer bed: first verbally, then via email, and again during a care plan meeting. Despite these requests, the resident was not provided with the longer bed in a timely manner. Staff interviews and record reviews revealed that although the request for a longer bed was approved by the administrator and a bed was delivered to the room, it was placed on the wrong side and not assigned to the resident. The breakdown in communication and follow-through resulted in the resident not receiving the necessary accommodation until after the issue was raised again in a care plan meeting. The facility's failure to ensure the completion of the task led to the resident not having his needs and preferences met as required by resident rights policies.