Failure to Maintain Homelike Environment and Adequate Room Temperatures
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a homelike environment for its residents, as evidenced by multiple observations and interviews. Several residents reported that their rooms were cold, requiring them to wear extra clothing or request additional blankets. Temperature measurements in various rooms showed inconsistent and often inadequate heating, with some areas registering as low as 56 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, below the facility's stated comfort range of 71 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintenance staff confirmed the lack of thermostats in resident rooms and noted that repairs and updates, such as painting walls and installing baseboards, were incomplete due to staff being reassigned to other buildings. Observations also revealed physical deficiencies in the environment, including long black marks, gashes in walls, peeling wallpaper, and missing baseboards in bathrooms. Interviews with residents and staff further confirmed the ongoing issues with room temperatures and the unfinished state of repairs. Residents consistently expressed discomfort due to the cold and dissatisfaction with the delayed maintenance. Both maintenance staff and the regional director of operations acknowledged the environmental deficiencies, including the need for painting, baseboard installation, and improved heat distribution. The facility's own policy requires a clean, sanitary, and orderly environment with comfortable and safe temperatures, which was not maintained for the affected residents.