Widespread Environmental and Housekeeping Failures Affecting Resident Living Areas and Shower Rooms
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain a clean, safe, comfortable, and homelike environment throughout multiple resident care areas, including shower rooms and resident rooms on several units. During a building tour, surveyors observed shower rooms with vinyl fabric liners under shower beds filled with cloudy liquid that smelled of urine; when tipped, the liquid drained through a liner drain hole with attached tubing. These liners were visibly soiled and stained brown, and the Director of Housekeeping & Laundry stated they were not laundered and that CNAs were responsible for cleaning them. In multiple shower rooms, floors were visibly soiled with buildup under and around therapy tubs, caulk at the floor/wall juncture was torn or missing and soiled with a black substance, and a lower plastic shelf under a shower bed was visibly soiled. The Director of Housekeeping acknowledged the need for re‑caulking and cleaning and reported that shower rooms were supposed to be cleaned daily with monthly deep cleaning, but the observed conditions did not reflect that schedule. Additional observations in resident rooms showed widespread uncleanliness and lack of routine housekeeping. One resident’s room had a floor littered with debris and numerous stains near the head of the bed and around the nightstand. Another resident’s room had dried purple streaks on the closet door and adjacent walls. A different room was cluttered, with a sticky floor scattered with debris that appeared not to have been mopped. A shared room had dirty floors with food crumbs, including scrambled eggs, and trash around both beds, and these conditions persisted on re‑observation the following day, when the bathroom was also found with two wheelchairs stored inside, a pink stain on the toilet seat, discolored toilet water with a film, and black stains in the bowl. In another room, the bed linens had been stripped and thrown on the floor under the window, and the floor at the foot of the bed had copious skin flakes and light brown sticky stains near the nightstand. One resident reported that housekeeping used to sweep and mop daily but recently only came about once a week, described the environment as not sanitary, and stated that unpleasant odors were frequent and sometimes prompted them to go to dialysis just to get away from the smell. Common areas and hallways also showed environmental deficiencies. Surveyors noted very strong urine and bowel movement odors throughout hallways on two units, including near a central shower room where no specific source was identified. Flooring outside and inside one resident’s room was covered with a clear, sticky substance that remained in place on subsequent observation, with a mechanical lift stored directly over it. The same room had a strong urine odor, heavily damaged walls with deep grooves, peeling floor molding with exposed debris, and scattered food debris and trash. Wallpaper throughout the hallways was heavily soiled with purple and brown splatters and peeling away from the walls. Handrails across from a housekeeping closet and near a main lounge had separated sections and missing end caps, exposing sharp metal and plastic edges; a resident was observed propelling their wheelchair by pulling along the exposed area. A housekeeping closet containing several cleaning chemicals was found open and unsecured with no housekeeping staff nearby, and a housekeeper acknowledged it should have been locked. The Maintenance Director confirmed the presence of sharp handrails, missing end caps, peeling wallpaper, and peeled floor molding, and identified a broken pin under a shower bed that should have secured a bed rail, stating it should have been reported and the bed should not have been available for use. The Director of Housekeeping, in place for about a month, reported staffing vacancies, stated that rooms were supposed to be cleaned daily using a checklist, acknowledged housekeeping concerns and the stained hallways, and confirmed that the housekeeping closet should remain locked. Review of the facility’s electronic reporting system from late September through early February showed no entries for the observed environmental issues, despite facility policies requiring a clean, sanitary, orderly environment, pleasant neutral scents, and safe chemical storage. The facility’s own policies on a homelike environment and chemical storage state that staff are to provide a clean, sanitary, and orderly environment with pleasant, neutral scents, and that housekeeping and maintenance services will be provided as necessary to maintain a sanitary, orderly, and comfortable environment. Staff are directed to report lingering odors, bathrooms needing cleaning, and unresolved environmental concerns to administration, and chemicals are to be stored safely. Despite these policies, surveyors documented persistent odors of urine and bowel movements, visible dirt and debris in resident rooms and hallways, stained and soiled surfaces, improperly maintained shower equipment, unsecured chemicals, and unreported maintenance issues such as damaged handrails, peeling wallpaper, and broken shower bed components. Residents interviewed reported decreased frequency of housekeeping services and dissatisfaction with cleanliness and odors in the facility, aligning with the environmental conditions observed during the survey.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Unclean Bed Linens: A resident with hypothyroidism and chronic diastolic heart failure had a pillowcase with several dry dark brown/red areas and sheets that appeared gray and unclean. The resident could not remember the last time the linens were changed, and the DON confirmed the linens should have been changed.
Dirty Resident Room and Respiratory Equipment: A resident with dysphagia, a feeding tube, and a tracheostomy had a room observed with a dirty fan, debris on the mattress, dust and dried debris on the O2 concentrator and trach machine, and a dirty towel on the bed. A family member reported the area by the bed was often dirty from tube feeding, and an LPN Resident Care Manager agreed the room was dirty and needed daily cleaning.
A resident’s room and the second-floor hallway had missing baseboards, including under the window in the room and periodically along both sides of the hall. During interview, an Mnt. employee stated the machine must be hitting them and that they had been taken off.
A resident room wall near the window was observed damaged and in disrepair, with a crack large enough for an ink pen to be inserted through it. The Maintenance Director said he knew about the damage after the resident reported it about 2 weeks earlier and believed it was caused by an AC leak. The damaged area covered about 6 square feet, while the Administrator said she was not aware of it and that the facility did not have a specific audit for wall or structural integrity checks.
Unsafe and Deteriorated Resident Room Conditions: Surveyors observed multiple resident rooms with broken, rusted, unsecured, and deteriorated conditions, including a hanging drawer front, scuffed and chipped walls, missing wall trim/chair rails, rust on a bedframe and AC shelf, a broken bathroom tile, and a gallon of Clorox stored in a bathroom. The Maintenance Director acknowledged the environmental conditions during the walkthrough, and photographic evidence was obtained.
The facility failed to maintain a clean, safe, and homelike environment. Surveyors observed dirty hallway vents, ceiling areas with residue, damaged walls, protruding door panel edges, missing tile and cracked flooring in shower areas, and multiple unsanitary conditions in resident rooms, including cracked light covers with bugs, uncovered soiled items, and substances on floors, mattresses, bed sheets, and bedside tables. Two residents’ wheelchairs also had dried substances and hair buildup, and staff acknowledged some areas needed repair or cleaning.
Unclean Bed Linens
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide housekeeping services necessary to maintain clean bed linens for one resident. Facility policy stated bed linens are to be changed at least weekly and whenever clinically indicated or requested by the resident. The resident was admitted with diagnoses including hypothyroidism and chronic diastolic heart failure, and the care plan included an intervention to keep bed linen clean due to impaired skin. During observations, the resident’s pillowcase had several dry areas of a dark brown/red substance and the bed sheets had a gray hue and appeared unclean. The resident stated he/she could not remember the last time the sheets were changed. The DON later confirmed that the pillowcase had dark brown/red areas, the sheets appeared unclean, and the bed linens should have been changed.
Dirty Resident Room and Respiratory Equipment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a homelike environment for Resident 6, who was admitted in 2022 with diagnoses including dysphagia and whose annual MDS dated 10/25/25 showed a feeding tube for nutrition and a tracheostomy in place. During observation, the resident’s room contained a small black fan that was very dirty and dusty and appeared not to have been cleaned for a long time. The resident’s room was later observed with a mattress on the floor near the bed that appeared dirty with dried clear debris, an oxygen concentrator with dried clear debris and dust on it, a tracheostomy machine with dried white debris all over it, the black fan covered in dust, and a dirty towel on the resident’s bed. A family member stated the area next to the resident’s bed was dirty and often had liquid on it from the tube feeding and appeared gross. An LPN Resident Care Manager observed the room and agreed it was dirty and needed to be cleaned daily.
Missing Baseboards on Second-Floor Hallway and Resident Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a clean, safe, comfortable, and homelike environment on the second floor. During a tour with Maintenance Employee E9, Resident R171’s room was observed to have a missing part of a baseboard under the window, and the left side of the hallway had baseboards missing periodically down the hall. The right side of the hallway also had baseboards missing periodically down the hall. During an interview, Maintenance Employee E15 stated that the machine must be hitting the baseboards and that they had been taken off.
Damaged Resident Room Wall Left in Disrepair
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide maintenance services to keep a resident bedroom in good repair. In room [ROOM NUMBER], the wall near the window was observed to be damaged and in disrepair, with a crack large enough that the end of an ink pen could be inserted through the wall. The observation was made during a surveyor visit, and photographic evidence was obtained. When the wall was re-observed with the Maintenance Director, he stated he was aware of the damage and said the resident in the room had reported it about 2 weeks earlier. He stated he believed the damage was caused by the air conditioning leaking. The damaged area covered about 6 square feet and extended about 12 inches up the wall. The Administrator later stated she was not aware of the damage and said the facility had room rounds but did not have a specific audit to inspect walls and structural integrity. The facility policy stated that environmental repairs and upkeep would be addressed and corrected in a timely manner, with resident safety taking priority over cosmetic repairs.
Unsafe and Deteriorated Resident Room Conditions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment when multiple resident rooms and resident-use areas were observed in damaged, deteriorated, unsecured, or unsanitary condition in 8 of 64 rooms observed. During observations, surveyors found a broken and hanging drawer front on a built-in wall cabinet, scuffed walls with chipped and scraped paint, rusted air return vent grilles, unsecured trim adjacent to a grille, rust on a bedframe, a broken bathroom floor tile, missing wall trim/chair rail leaving unfinished wall areas, a gallon of Clorox in a bathroom, and a metal air conditioning shelf with visible rust. One room also had a dresser that was scratched and heavily exposed the wood underneath the paint. Additional observations showed more rooms with scuffed walls, chipped and scraped paint, missing wall trim/chair rail, exposed torn sheetrock, and chipped and scraped paint beneath a window. During an interview and walkthrough, the Maintenance Director acknowledged the identified environmental conditions requiring repair or correction. Photographic evidence was obtained of all the issues observed.
Cleanliness, Safety, and Equipment Sanitation Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure residents were provided with a clean, safe, and homelike environment. Surveyors observed multiple areas of disrepair and cleanliness concerns throughout the building, including shower room flooring with dark residue and chipped, open penetrations, hallway vents and ceiling areas with black, gray, and cobweb-like substances, wall gouges, and dining room ceiling vents and lights with dry splattering and rust-colored residue. The facility’s maintenance manager and maintenance director stated they were aware of some of the shower room and panel issues and knew repairs were needed. Surveyors also observed unsafe conditions in resident areas and common spaces. Plastic door panels outside two rooms had protruding edges, the south hall shower room had two large holes where tile was missing and a smaller crack, and staff acknowledged the flooring needed correction. In resident rooms, surveyors observed cracked light covers containing bugs, gouges in walls and railings, a missing bathroom door, a thick black substance at a room entrance threshold, and uncovered soiled items such as an isolation bin with soiled linen and a bedpan on the floor under the sink. Equipment cleanliness concerns were also identified. Two residents’ wheelchairs had dried substances on the cushions and wheels, with hair accumulated in the wheel mechanisms, and a CNA stated night shift should have cleaned the wheelchairs. In another room, surveyors observed mattresses with dried brown and white substances, a mattress leaning against the wall with dried white substance, dried substances on the floor and bed sheets, and a bedside table with dried brown substance. Facility logs reviewed did not document cleaning of hallway vents, mats, or mattresses at the bedside, and the Housekeeping Supervisor stated vents should have been cleaned and that nurse aides were responsible for cleaning body fluids from mattresses and mats before housekeeping cleaned them.
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