Failure to Maintain Safe Indoor Temperatures and Monitor Residents During Heating System Malfunction
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain safe and comfortable indoor temperatures for all 102 residents following a power outage and subsequent heating system malfunction. After a power outage occurred on a Saturday, the Maintenance Director reported that the power was restored within approximately 45 minutes and stated there were no heating issues at that time. The next day, the Administrator notified the Maintenance Director that the heat was not working, and the Maintenance Director manually reset the boiler system, which he stated was required after the outage but had not been done earlier because he was unaware of the need. He reported that after resetting the boilers, the heat began working and temperatures taken throughout the facility showed it was warming up, and he then left the building. Despite this, residents and staff reported that the building remained cold over the weekend and into Monday. One resident stated that heating issues began on Saturday evening when the power went out and that the thermostat in his room read 55–60°F for 18 hours before he was moved to another room on Sunday afternoon. Another resident reported that it was very cold and that his nose was freezing to the touch, and staff provided extra blankets. A third resident’s room temperature was measured at 62.4°F by the Assistant Maintenance staff, and this resident reported that his room had been cold for two to three days, had already had his roommate moved out, and had asked his son to bring winter gloves. Another resident reported that his room was freezing the previous night, that he had 10 blankets on to stay warm, and that multiple people attempted but were unable to fix the heater in his room. A fifth resident reported that the heat was not working, that he used four blankets and two pairs of pants to stay warm, and that he remained in his room during this time. Staff interviews and facility records further demonstrated that the facility did not adequately monitor or respond to the cold conditions. A CNA reported working a morning shift when the building was cold, wearing her winter jacket while assisting residents in the dining room, and hearing residents complain of the cold; she stated that residents were moved to warmer areas but that she did not obtain temperatures on any residents. An LPN working a 12-hour day shift stated the facility was cold when she arrived and that she only took body temperatures on residents who could not verbalize if they were cold. An RN working the night shift reported that the facility felt cold when she arrived, that the previous shift had told her it was getting colder throughout the day, and that she instructed CNAs to add clothing and blankets and repositioned a resident’s bed away from a window, but she did not call anyone about the cold. Another LPN working night shifts over three days stated that heating issues started Saturday night, that staff were told maintenance had done everything possible, and that although it was cold on subsequent nights, she did not notify anyone on Sunday night. Temperature logs for the day of January 19 showed multiple readings below typical comfort levels, with recorded temperatures ranging from as low as 57.8°F to 71.4°F at various times between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The Maintenance Director stated he was not notified by staff or administration on Sunday night into Monday morning that the heat was not working properly and that he did not become aware of the ongoing heating problem until he arrived Monday morning. The Assistant DON, who was the on-call nursing manager Sunday night, reported receiving no calls about the heat not working, and the Administrator similarly reported receiving no calls about the cold conditions that night, while stating that staff should have notified him or the Maintenance Director. The DON stated that staff began taking resident temperatures on Monday evening and acknowledged that not all residents’ temperatures were checked and that all residents should have been monitored, including on Sunday night if staff felt the facility was cold. The facility’s written policy on “Loss of Heat During Cold Weather” required that staff be oriented and educated to procedures for individual room heat malfunction and loss of heat to the entire facility. For individual room malfunctions, the policy directed staff to notify maintenance and to check room temperatures as needed, sampling at least every two hours when residents were in the room, and recommended moving residents if room temperatures fell below 55°F for 12 hours or more. For loss of heat to the facility, the policy required notification of the Administrator and Maintenance Department and observation of residents for signs of adverse effects of cooler temperatures. The report indicates that the facility did not document monitoring of all residents for signs and symptoms of hypothermia, including temperature checks, during the period when the facility lacked adequate heat on Sunday night and Monday, and that staff did not consistently follow the notification and monitoring procedures outlined in the policy.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Unclean Bed Linens: A resident with hypothyroidism and chronic diastolic heart failure had a pillowcase with several dry dark brown/red areas and sheets that appeared gray and unclean. The resident could not remember the last time the linens were changed, and the DON confirmed the linens should have been changed.
Dirty Resident Room and Respiratory Equipment: A resident with dysphagia, a feeding tube, and a tracheostomy had a room observed with a dirty fan, debris on the mattress, dust and dried debris on the O2 concentrator and trach machine, and a dirty towel on the bed. A family member reported the area by the bed was often dirty from tube feeding, and an LPN Resident Care Manager agreed the room was dirty and needed daily cleaning.
A resident’s room and the second-floor hallway had missing baseboards, including under the window in the room and periodically along both sides of the hall. During interview, an Mnt. employee stated the machine must be hitting them and that they had been taken off.
A resident room wall near the window was observed damaged and in disrepair, with a crack large enough for an ink pen to be inserted through it. The Maintenance Director said he knew about the damage after the resident reported it about 2 weeks earlier and believed it was caused by an AC leak. The damaged area covered about 6 square feet, while the Administrator said she was not aware of it and that the facility did not have a specific audit for wall or structural integrity checks.
Unsafe and Deteriorated Resident Room Conditions: Surveyors observed multiple resident rooms with broken, rusted, unsecured, and deteriorated conditions, including a hanging drawer front, scuffed and chipped walls, missing wall trim/chair rails, rust on a bedframe and AC shelf, a broken bathroom tile, and a gallon of Clorox stored in a bathroom. The Maintenance Director acknowledged the environmental conditions during the walkthrough, and photographic evidence was obtained.
The facility failed to maintain a clean, safe, and homelike environment. Surveyors observed dirty hallway vents, ceiling areas with residue, damaged walls, protruding door panel edges, missing tile and cracked flooring in shower areas, and multiple unsanitary conditions in resident rooms, including cracked light covers with bugs, uncovered soiled items, and substances on floors, mattresses, bed sheets, and bedside tables. Two residents’ wheelchairs also had dried substances and hair buildup, and staff acknowledged some areas needed repair or cleaning.
Unclean Bed Linens
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide housekeeping services necessary to maintain clean bed linens for one resident. Facility policy stated bed linens are to be changed at least weekly and whenever clinically indicated or requested by the resident. The resident was admitted with diagnoses including hypothyroidism and chronic diastolic heart failure, and the care plan included an intervention to keep bed linen clean due to impaired skin. During observations, the resident’s pillowcase had several dry areas of a dark brown/red substance and the bed sheets had a gray hue and appeared unclean. The resident stated he/she could not remember the last time the sheets were changed. The DON later confirmed that the pillowcase had dark brown/red areas, the sheets appeared unclean, and the bed linens should have been changed.
Dirty Resident Room and Respiratory Equipment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a homelike environment for Resident 6, who was admitted in 2022 with diagnoses including dysphagia and whose annual MDS dated 10/25/25 showed a feeding tube for nutrition and a tracheostomy in place. During observation, the resident’s room contained a small black fan that was very dirty and dusty and appeared not to have been cleaned for a long time. The resident’s room was later observed with a mattress on the floor near the bed that appeared dirty with dried clear debris, an oxygen concentrator with dried clear debris and dust on it, a tracheostomy machine with dried white debris all over it, the black fan covered in dust, and a dirty towel on the resident’s bed. A family member stated the area next to the resident’s bed was dirty and often had liquid on it from the tube feeding and appeared gross. An LPN Resident Care Manager observed the room and agreed it was dirty and needed to be cleaned daily.
Missing Baseboards on Second-Floor Hallway and Resident Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a clean, safe, comfortable, and homelike environment on the second floor. During a tour with Maintenance Employee E9, Resident R171’s room was observed to have a missing part of a baseboard under the window, and the left side of the hallway had baseboards missing periodically down the hall. The right side of the hallway also had baseboards missing periodically down the hall. During an interview, Maintenance Employee E15 stated that the machine must be hitting the baseboards and that they had been taken off.
Damaged Resident Room Wall Left in Disrepair
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide maintenance services to keep a resident bedroom in good repair. In room [ROOM NUMBER], the wall near the window was observed to be damaged and in disrepair, with a crack large enough that the end of an ink pen could be inserted through the wall. The observation was made during a surveyor visit, and photographic evidence was obtained. When the wall was re-observed with the Maintenance Director, he stated he was aware of the damage and said the resident in the room had reported it about 2 weeks earlier. He stated he believed the damage was caused by the air conditioning leaking. The damaged area covered about 6 square feet and extended about 12 inches up the wall. The Administrator later stated she was not aware of the damage and said the facility had room rounds but did not have a specific audit to inspect walls and structural integrity. The facility policy stated that environmental repairs and upkeep would be addressed and corrected in a timely manner, with resident safety taking priority over cosmetic repairs.
Unsafe and Deteriorated Resident Room Conditions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment when multiple resident rooms and resident-use areas were observed in damaged, deteriorated, unsecured, or unsanitary condition in 8 of 64 rooms observed. During observations, surveyors found a broken and hanging drawer front on a built-in wall cabinet, scuffed walls with chipped and scraped paint, rusted air return vent grilles, unsecured trim adjacent to a grille, rust on a bedframe, a broken bathroom floor tile, missing wall trim/chair rail leaving unfinished wall areas, a gallon of Clorox in a bathroom, and a metal air conditioning shelf with visible rust. One room also had a dresser that was scratched and heavily exposed the wood underneath the paint. Additional observations showed more rooms with scuffed walls, chipped and scraped paint, missing wall trim/chair rail, exposed torn sheetrock, and chipped and scraped paint beneath a window. During an interview and walkthrough, the Maintenance Director acknowledged the identified environmental conditions requiring repair or correction. Photographic evidence was obtained of all the issues observed.
Cleanliness, Safety, and Equipment Sanitation Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure residents were provided with a clean, safe, and homelike environment. Surveyors observed multiple areas of disrepair and cleanliness concerns throughout the building, including shower room flooring with dark residue and chipped, open penetrations, hallway vents and ceiling areas with black, gray, and cobweb-like substances, wall gouges, and dining room ceiling vents and lights with dry splattering and rust-colored residue. The facility’s maintenance manager and maintenance director stated they were aware of some of the shower room and panel issues and knew repairs were needed. Surveyors also observed unsafe conditions in resident areas and common spaces. Plastic door panels outside two rooms had protruding edges, the south hall shower room had two large holes where tile was missing and a smaller crack, and staff acknowledged the flooring needed correction. In resident rooms, surveyors observed cracked light covers containing bugs, gouges in walls and railings, a missing bathroom door, a thick black substance at a room entrance threshold, and uncovered soiled items such as an isolation bin with soiled linen and a bedpan on the floor under the sink. Equipment cleanliness concerns were also identified. Two residents’ wheelchairs had dried substances on the cushions and wheels, with hair accumulated in the wheel mechanisms, and a CNA stated night shift should have cleaned the wheelchairs. In another room, surveyors observed mattresses with dried brown and white substances, a mattress leaning against the wall with dried white substance, dried substances on the floor and bed sheets, and a bedside table with dried brown substance. Facility logs reviewed did not document cleaning of hallway vents, mats, or mattresses at the bedside, and the Housekeeping Supervisor stated vents should have been cleaned and that nurse aides were responsible for cleaning body fluids from mattresses and mats before housekeeping cleaned them.
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