Failure to Provide Required Smoking Safety Equipment and Supervision
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident with vascular dementia, mild intellectual disabilities, and a history of smoking-related safety issues was allowed to smoke without the required protective smoking apron. The resident's care plan and smoking assessment both specified the need for supervision and the use of a smoking apron due to previous incidents of cigarette burns on his clothing and the tendency to rest a lit cigarette near his pants. Despite these documented requirements, the resident was observed smoking under the supervision of a housekeeper without wearing the apron. Interviews with staff confirmed awareness of the resident's need for the apron, with the housekeeper stating the resident refused to wear it and the DON reiterating that smoking should not occur without the apron. The social worker also confirmed the resident was not safe to smoke without the apron, even with supervision, due to his habit of letting the cigarette touch his pants. Facility policies required individualized safety interventions and adherence to smoking safety protocols, but these were not followed during the observed incident.