Failure to Maintain Clean and Comfortable Resident Rooms
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility's failure to maintain clean and comfortable resident rooms for four out of eleven residents reviewed. Observations revealed that multiple resident rooms contained trash, food crumbs, used paper towels, and dried spilled substances such as coffee on the floors. In one case, a resident's bathroom had a brown substance around the base of the toilet, used paper towels on the floor, and a black ring in the toilet. These conditions were directly observed during the survey and were corroborated by interviews with residents and staff. The residents affected had significant physical and/or cognitive impairments, including conditions such as mononeuropathy, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, muscle wasting, joint replacements, and amputations. Their care plans indicated varying levels of assistance required for mobility and activities of daily living, with some residents being dependent on staff for picking up objects or cleaning. Interviews with residents revealed dissatisfaction with the cleanliness of their rooms, with some stating they had to wait for housekeeping to return or had to request cleaning from staff. One resident reported not seeing anyone clean her room during her stay, and another stated that the room felt unclean and not homelike when not properly maintained. Staff interviews indicated a lack of clarity and consistency regarding responsibility for cleaning resident rooms, especially outside of housekeeping hours. Housekeeping staff reported that rooms were cleaned daily, but acknowledged that rooms were often dirty in the mornings before cleaning began. CNAs and other staff stated that they were responsible for cleaning when housekeeping was unavailable, but there was confusion about monitoring and follow-through. Facility policies reviewed by surveyors required daily and as-needed cleaning of resident rooms, but these policies were not consistently implemented, resulting in the observed deficiencies.