F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
E

Failure to Provide ADL Assistance for Incontinence Care, Meal Supervision, and Grooming

Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare CenterLowell, Massachusetts Survey Completed on 08-15-2025

Summary

The facility failed to provide timely incontinence care for a resident who was admitted with metabolic encephalopathy, acute kidney failure, dementia, and aphasia and who was assessed as severely cognitively impaired, always incontinent of bowel and bladder, and dependent on staff for toileting hygiene and ADLs. The resident was observed sitting in a wheelchair in the dining room for several hours, with a fecal and urine-like odor noted in the area and repeated attempts by the resident to stand up. A CNA later stated the resident had last been checked and changed when brought to the dining room that morning and had not received incontinence care since then. When the resident was finally taken to the room, incontinence care revealed both feces and urine in the brief, with mild redness around the peri area. The facility also failed to provide meal supervision for three residents whose care plans and assessments indicated supervision or touching assistance with eating. One resident with protein calorie malnutrition, dysphagia, weakness, and severe cognitive impairment was repeatedly observed being set up for meals in bed and left alone to eat in the room. Another resident with dementia and severe cognitive impairment was observed eating breakfast in bed on multiple occasions without staff present in the room or hallway, despite spilling food and drink on the lap and chest. A third resident with dysphagia and Alzheimer’s disease was also repeatedly observed eating breakfast in bed without staff nearby, with food on the chest. Staff interviews confirmed that these residents required supervision with meals, and the DON stated that residents needing supervision or touching assistance should not be eating alone. The facility further failed to ensure facial hair was shaved for a resident who required partial/moderate assistance with personal hygiene. The resident, who had intact cognition but limited hand function, was observed multiple times with white facial hair on the chin, upper lip, and cheeks. The resident stated a desire to have the face shaved and said the hands did not work well enough to do it independently, and also said staff were too busy to do it more often. Review of the care card and ADL care plan showed partial assist for personal hygiene, and staff interviews indicated that if facial hair was noticed, the resident should be asked if it wanted to be removed.

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

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See other F0677 citations
Failure to Provide ADL Assistance and Morning Grooming
D
F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Short Summary

A resident with severe cognitive impairment, an indwelling catheter, and a need for assistance with dressing and personal hygiene was observed wearing the same soiled hospital gown and socks from the prior evening, with disheveled grooming and a strong urine odor in the room. A NA changed the catheter bag but did not offer a clean gown or morning cares, despite the care plan directing staff to provide peri-care and offer clothing assistance. The RN manager stated staff should have offered a clean gown and cares, and the DON stated staff were expected to offer cares and document refusals.

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 Assist Resident With Oral Hygiene
D
F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Short Summary

Failure to assist a resident with oral hygiene. A cognitively intact resident admitted with a fracture required ADL assistance, including oral hygiene, per MDS and care plan. The resident stated staff did not provide a toothbrush or offer help brushing teeth, and the toothbrush was later found still in its original wrapper by the sink. The assigned CNA confirmed oral care was not provided, and the DNS stated residents should be offered oral care twice daily.

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 Provide ADL Care and Hygiene Assistance
D
F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Short Summary

Failure to provide ADL care and hygiene assistance: One resident with Parkinson’s disease, DM2, dysphagia, and polyneuropathy was scheduled for showers twice weekly but had no documented bath or shower for nearly two weeks and was observed with dirty clothing, skin flakes, messy hair, and facial stubble. Another resident with parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s disease, who required maximal assistance with personal hygiene, was repeatedly observed with dirty fingernails. Staff stated nails should be cleaned when dirty and checked daily, but the resident’s nails remained unclean.

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 Provide Scheduled Bathing Assistance
E
F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Short Summary

Failure to Provide Scheduled Bathing Assistance: Three residents who required help with ADLs did not receive bathing as scheduled. One resident had COPD, DM, and CHF and needed help with personal hygiene; another had a functional deficit and needed partial bathing assistance; all had bath schedules for 3 times weekly, but shower sheets showed missed or inconsistent baths. The DON stated showers should occur 3 times weekly and that refusals should be documented with a bed bath offered, while CNA and RN interviews indicated showers were sometimes missed and shower sheets were not always completed.

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 Provide Nail Care During ADL Assistance
E
F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Short Summary

Failure to Provide Nail Care During ADL Assistance: Multiple residents who required help with grooming and hygiene were observed with long, dirty, uneven fingernails and black/brown debris under the nails. Several residents stated they wanted their nails cleaned and clipped, and one resident with stroke-related R-sided weakness and hand contractures had overgrown nails, including nails digging into the palm. The DON stated nail care is part of grooming care, and one resident with multiple comorbidities and substantial/maximal assistance needs reported that no one offers to clean or cut his nails.

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.
Call Lights Not Kept Within Reach and ADL Grooming Not Provided
E
F0677 F677: Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Short Summary

The facility failed to keep call lights within reach for multiple residents and failed to provide needed grooming assistance for a resident who required help with ADLs. Residents were observed in bed or in a wheelchair without accessible call lights, and one resident with dementia and neurocognitive disorder with lewy bodies had long facial hair despite needing staff assistance for shaving. Staff interviews confirmed the call lights were not properly accessible and that the resident needed help with personal hygiene.

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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