F0677

E

Failure to Follow Aspiration Precautions and Provide Timely Incontinence Care

Westchester, Illinois Survey Completed on 07-25-2025

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to follow physician orders and speech therapy recommendations for safe feeding positioning, and failure to follow its own incontinence care policy requiring checks at least every two hours or as needed. One resident with documented oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration precautions was repeatedly observed receiving meals while not positioned upright at 90 degrees as ordered. This resident was seen in a reclining chair at approximately 30 degrees while being fed lunch and coughing after each bite, and later in bed with the head elevated only about 30 degrees while breakfast was placed in front of them. When the resident requested that the head of the bed be raised, a CNA stated the resident could do it independently and left the room. The DON later stated the resident was alert and oriented and “keeps scooting self-down in bed,” but when the room was entered, the resident had eaten only two bites of breakfast and was not positioned as ordered. During the survey, the resident was not observed sliding down in bed or chair.

Clinical records for this resident included a modified barium swallow study documenting at least moderate oropharyngeal dysphagia with reduced bolus control, delayed swallow initiation, and suspected reduced swallow safety with possible aspiration, along with recommendations for a puree diet, teaspoon sips of thin liquids, slow 1:1 supportive feeding assistance, and strict adherence to swallow precautions in an upright/midline 90-degree position. The physician order sheet documented puree solids and nectar thick liquids, upright positioning for all oral intake, slow rate, small bites/sips, alternating solids and liquids, no straws, and aspiration precautions. A speech therapy discharge summary reiterated the need for upright posture during meals and for more than 30 minutes after meals, with prognosis dependent on staff follow-through. Despite these orders and recommendations, staff and nursing leadership relied on the assertion that the resident could reposition independently and did not ensure the ordered upright positioning during meals.

The facility also failed to provide incontinence care at least every two hours or as needed, as required by its incontinence care policy. One resident was observed with a large bulging brief; upon assessment by a nurse, the resident was found wearing a brief with a urine-soaked and saturated insert, and the nurse stated it took over two hours to become that saturated and was unsure when the last incontinence care was provided. Another resident reported being wet and that staff would not change the brief; when a CNA provided care, the resident was found with a saturated panty liner inside a saturated brief, and the CNA stated they provided incontinence care only twice per shift (at the beginning and end). A third resident activated the call light and indicated the need for a brief change; staff turned off the call light, informed another CNA, and incontinence care was not provided until approximately 25 minutes after the initial observation. A fourth resident stated they needed to use the bathroom and had been holding urine while waiting for staff; when checked, the front of the brief appeared dry, but the back was saturated with urine. CNAs reported providing incontinence care at the beginning and end of shifts, while the DON and ADON stated incontinent residents should be checked and changed every 2–3 hours or every two hours and as needed. MDS assessments documented that these residents were always or frequently incontinent and required staff assistance for toileting, and one resident’s care plan called for peri-care after each incontinent episode.