F0924

E

Unsecured Hallway Handrails Not Repaired per Preventative Maintenance Policy

Cicero, Illinois Survey Completed on 01-08-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure that hallway handrails on the 3rd floor were firmly secured as required by its own preventative maintenance policy. On a floor with 32 residents, surveyors observed that the handrail next to the bathroom and across from a resident room was unsecured, loose, and able to be displaced approximately 3 inches up or down. An LPN observed the loose handrail, confirmed it was loose, and stated it needed to be tightened, acknowledging that handrails are used for safety and to assist residents with gait abnormalities. The Maintenance Director later affirmed that the facility’s expectation is that handrails in common areas are secured and promptly repaired when needed, and that they are installed for resident safety and assistance. Subsequent observation showed that the same handrail next to the bathroom and across from a resident room remained unsecured and loose with approximately 3 inches of movement, and additional handrails across from and outside other resident rooms were also unsecured, loose, and able to be displaced approximately 3 to 5 inches, including one bracket with a screw protruding about 1.5 inches. Another LPN confirmed these observations and affirmed that handrails are for resident safety. The facility’s preventative maintenance policy directed staff to inspect all handrails throughout the facility for loosened fasteners or connectors and to make any needed repairs immediately.

This deficiency arose from the presence of multiple unsecured and loose handrails in resident-accessible hallways, repeated observations of the same unresolved condition over several days, and the facility’s failure to adhere to its written preventative maintenance policy requiring immediate repair of loosened handrails.