Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity and Clean, Respectful Dining Conditions
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves failures to honor residents' rights to dignity and respect during mealtimes. At the 12:15 PM lunch meal in the 300/400 dining room, one resident was observed at 12:45 PM sitting at a table watching other residents eat while not having been served any lunch. All other residents in the dining room had been served, and approximately 25% had already finished eating. The resident stated they were hungry and did not know why they had not received a tray. An activity aide confirmed the resident had not received a lunch tray while all others were eating and acknowledged this as a dignity concern. The dietary manager later confirmed awareness that the resident did not get a lunch tray and stated they believed a meal ticket had not printed for the resident, while also affirming that everyone should be served lunch at the same time and that tray passing begins at 12:00 PM. A separate dignity concern occurred during another lunch meal when one resident seated at a table with four other residents exhibited continuous drooling throughout the meal. The drooling accumulated on the tabletop and on the resident’s clothing, forming a visible puddle of thick sputum approximately a half foot long and a foot wide on the shared dining surface. The resident appeared unaware of or unable to manage the drooling independently and required staff support to maintain comfort and personal dignity, but the drooling remained on the table for an extended period while the other residents at the table were visibly exposed to the situation. The DON later stated that the described situation was not acceptable, described it as disgusting, noted the area was not cleaned immediately and that an odor could have been present, and stated it was not fair to the other residents. Facility resident rights materials state that residents must be treated with dignity and respect, cared for in a manner that promotes quality of life, and that the facility must be safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike, with reasonable arrangements made to meet residents’ needs and choices.
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