F0921

F

Widespread Environmental Disrepair and Unsanitary Conditions Throughout Facility

Columbus, Ohio Survey Completed on 01-29-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure a safe, sanitary, and homelike environment for all 85 residents, as evidenced by multiple observations of disrepair, unclean conditions, and inadequate equipment throughout the building. On the third floor, the dining cart was held together with duct tape, and residents were served meals in polystyrene foam containers with plastic utensils. One resident reported difficulty cutting food with a plastic fork on the disposable containers, and another resident stated being tired of eating on disposable plates. The Dietary Supervisor confirmed that disposable plates were being used because the boiler was under repair. In the memory care unit, a large section of ceiling tiles was missing after a ceiling collapse, and the Maintenance Director acknowledged the damage but stated he had to prioritize heater repairs.

Additional observations showed widespread physical deterioration and non-functioning equipment in common areas and resident rooms. The main elevator had extensive scratches and gouges on the walls and dust on the ceiling grid, hallways and lobby walls were heavily scuffed, and ceiling tiles were missing or water-stained in several locations, including near a vending machine and in a second-floor shower room where a ceiling tile was crumbling. Multiple public bathrooms on all three floors were marked out of order, and a back elevator remained out of order over an extended period. There were active and recurrent water leaks, including wet blankets and caution signs in a second-floor hallway and chapel, and a burst pipe with an active leak managed with buckets and towels. The President of Plant Operations stated the building had very old cast iron pipes that could only be repaired as they broke and confirmed the crumbling ceiling and repeated pipe breaks.

Within resident rooms, numerous deficiencies were documented, including rusted sinks and drains, missing laminate, crumbling or missing drywall, exposed cable and wiring, loose or falling wall bars, loose grab bars by toilets, and damaged or old furniture such as bedside tables and wardrobes in disrepair. Several residents reported issues directly: one resident had only a desk and no dresser and a slow-draining sink; another had a swollen door that was difficult to open, a non-draining sink, and loose sink lamination; another demonstrated that the foot of his bed would not raise and the headboard was detached, with a telephone outlet dangling from the wall with exposed wires. In one room, a resident’s call light was pulled out from the wall, and the resident stated she had to yell out for assistance. Other residents reported dissatisfaction with marred walls, damaged areas around sinks, and missing or inadequate furniture such as chairs and dressers.

Lighting and cleanliness issues were also prevalent. Several rooms were described as very dim even with all lights on, and some light fixtures were missing covers, leaving exposed bulbs. In multiple rooms, there were stains on ceilings, apparent water damage, and what was described as dark staining potentially resembling mold. In the front lobby and adjacent hallways, there was approximately two inches of dark grime along the edge of the flooring by the walls, which remained present over multiple days until a housekeeper was observed scraping it. In shower rooms, there were piles of wet towels left on the floor on more than one occasion, and an overhead fan in a memory care shower room was covered in dust; a CNA stated she did not know who was responsible for cleaning the fan. Throughout the building, staff including the Maintenance Director, Regional Maintenance Director, and President of Plant Operations toured the cited areas and verified that the described areas had not been maintained.

Handrails and safety fixtures in resident bathrooms and rooms were also compromised. One resident had a very loose handrail by the toilet with rust near the pipe and a sink with missing enamel and a sharp edge, along with exposed drywall and ripped wall areas. Another resident’s sink lacked hot water, and the wall around the sink was partially unpainted; this resident also noted the absence of a chair they wanted in the room. In common areas, chunks of wall were missing, hallway railings were marred along their length, and paint was missing in multiple locations. Across various rooms and hallways, there were chips in floor tiles, missing baseboards, missing trim, and marred or gashed doors. These conditions, confirmed by multiple staff interviews and walk-throughs, demonstrate a pattern of failure to maintain the building, equipment, and environment in a safe, sanitary, and homelike condition for residents, staff, and the public.

In several instances, residents explicitly described how these environmental deficiencies affected their daily experience. Residents reported difficulty using plastic utensils on disposable plates, frustration with long-standing door and furniture problems, and concern about stains on ceilings above their beds. One resident confirmed that when turning on the sink, water came out onto the floor, and the entire sink and cabinet were not attached to the wall and could be tilted forward with a light touch. Another resident stated that the condition of the wall and area under the sink bothered him, and others expressed dissatisfaction with dim lighting and damaged surroundings. Staff interviews repeatedly confirmed awareness of many of these conditions, including broken fixtures, out-of-order bathrooms and elevators, water damage, and structural deterioration, without evidence in the report of timely correction prior to the survey observations.