F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
E

Soiled Bed Linens Found on Multiple Made Beds in AACU

Brickyard Healthcare - Merrillville Care CenterMerrillville, Indiana Survey Completed on 01-15-2026

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide a clean, safe, and homelike environment by allowing multiple residents to have made beds with visibly soiled linens on the Advanced Alzheimer’s Care Unit (AACU). During observations conducted with the AACU Supervisor, four of seven resident beds were found with dirty linens despite appearing to be made. One resident’s bed had a moderate amount of a brown substance on the top sheet hanging over the side of the bed, which the AACU Supervisor acknowledged. Another resident’s bed, when the top sheet and cover were removed, revealed brown stains on the bottom sheet. A third resident’s bed was made with a bottom sheet, top sheet, and bed cover, but when the top layers were removed, food crumbs were observed on the bottom sheet and a brown substance was present on the pillowcase. A fourth resident’s bed, made with a bottom sheet and bath blanket, was found to have brown stains on the bottom sheet once the blanket was removed. The AACU Supervisor stated that these four beds had soiled linens that had been made without the linens being changed by the night shift. The Administrator later reported that both night and day shift staff denied making the beds and suggested that residents may have made them, and also indicated there was no facility policy for changing linens. The residents involved all had significant cognitive impairments and varying levels of dependence on staff for activities of daily living (ADLs). One resident with Alzheimer’s disease had a severely impaired cognitive status, required staff assistance for bed mobility, bathing, and transfers, and was occasionally incontinent; her care plan noted she would sometimes make her own bed but required one to two staff for ADLs and short, simple instructions. Another resident with vascular dementia had a severely impaired cognitive status, was dependent on staff for toileting, showers, dressing, bed mobility, transfers, and ambulation, and was frequently incontinent; there was no care plan indicating she made her own bed. A third resident with dementia and bipolar disorder required moderate to maximum assistance for ADLs, was frequently incontinent, and had impaired cognition with need for cueing and supervision, with no care plan indicating she made her own bed. The fourth resident, with Alzheimer’s disease and severely impaired cognition, required staff assistance for ADLs, was frequently incontinent, and also had no care plan indicating he made his own bed.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0584 citations
Soiled Mattress and Tray-Based Meal Service
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A resident with moderate cognitive impairment and extensive ADL needs was found with urine-soiled bedding, an unmade bed, and a mattress that was torn and heavily stained, with staff stating the damage had been present for a while. On the secured unit, all observed residents were served meals on plastic trays holding their plates, utensils, and drinks instead of having items placed directly on the table, and staff and the DON confirmed this was the routine practice.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unsafe Room Flooring and Loose Bathroom Sinks
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A facility failed to maintain a safe, homelike environment when a resident room had broken and missing floor tile exposing the wood underneath, and two bathrooms had sinks coming away from the wall and loose enough to move when pressure was applied. One resident said the floor had been bad for some time and had been reported without being addressed, and an LPN later confirmed the damaged flooring and loose sinks.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Furniture Not Kept in Good Repair
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Furniture Not Kept in Good Repair: Armchairs in multiple resident rooms and chairs in the front sitting area were observed with torn or cracked upholstery exposing cloth material. The Maintenance Director stated the furniture was not in good repair and had not been notified of the damage, while the Administrator stated staff were to remove furniture with tears.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unclean refrigerator and tray service during dining
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A facility failed to maintain a clean, homelike environment when a refrigerator used for resident supplement drinks had significant ice buildup with an unknown item in it, and staff were unsure who was responsible for cleaning or reporting it. In addition, meals were repeatedly served on trays and left in front of residents during dining, which an RN and the VPS confirmed had been occurring for some time and was not homelike.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Failure to Maintain Comfortable Room Temperatures: Several residents were found in hot, stuffy rooms with weak or nonworking AC units, and room temps were measured above 81 F, including one room at 89.5 F. Residents reported feeling hot and uncomfortable, and some were not offered a room change while the issue persisted. The facility did not follow its Hot Weather policy for relocating residents to cooler areas and monitoring room temps.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Excessive Ambient Temperatures at Nurses' Stations
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Excessive ambient temperatures were observed at the 100/200 and 300/400 nurses' stations when the wall thermostat and facility temperature monitoring device both showed readings in the low 80s. The surveyor verified the readings with the Facility Maintenance Director while residents were seated in nearby common areas.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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