Failure to Provide Resident-Centered Activities Program on Memory Care Unit
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide an ongoing, resident-centered activities program for a resident with dementia and depression residing on the locked memory care unit. The resident’s MDS annual assessment showed severe cognitive impairment and documented that it was important to her to have reading material, listen to music, be around pets, keep up with news, be around groups of people, go outside, and participate in religious services. Despite these identified preferences, her care plan last reviewed on 11/18/25 contained no goals or interventions related to activities, and her Kardex included no mention of activities. Record review showed no documentation of her participation in group activities, 1:1 sessions, or self-directed activities. Observations on two separate days found her sitting passively in common areas (hallway looking out the window and in the memory care common area) without engagement in meaningful activities, and she was not watching the television that was on in the unit. Staff interviews confirmed that the structured activities program did not extend to the memory care unit. Nurse #1 reported that Activities staff did not conduct activities on the memory care unit and that nursing staff only sometimes played music, turned on the television, or assisted residents with bingo, timed to minimize disruption to care routines. She stated that activities were not individualized according to residents’ MDS-identified preferences and were instead based on ad hoc resident requests, with no documentation of activities provided by nursing staff. The Activities Director stated he did not conduct activities or complete activity assessments for residents on the memory care unit, there was no activity calendar for that unit, and he was unaware that assessments for those residents were required. The Administrator and Corporate Nurse Consultant acknowledged previously identified issues with the memory care activities program, including lack of specialized activities, missing activity assessments, absence of 1:1 activity documentation, and the Activities Director’s lack of necessary certification at the time.
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