F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
E

Resident Council Concerns Were Not Documented as Resolved

Laurel Health & Rehabilitation CenterLaurel, Montana Survey Completed on 01-29-2026

Summary

The facility failed to provide evidence that it acknowledged and resolved, or attempted to resolve, concerns brought forward by the resident council. During observation of the resident council meeting, staff member C asked the residents how things were going, but did not read the prior meeting minutes or follow up on the previous month’s concerns. Residents in attendance reported ongoing, unresolved issues with missing laundry, meals being served cold, and call lights not being answered in a timely manner. Staff member C stated she had recently been assigned as the resident council’s staff liaison and that she transcribed the meeting minutes and would follow up with departments when residents voiced concerns. She stated the follow-up was verbal only, was not provided in writing, and she did not file a grievance form. She also stated she would follow up with residents at the next monthly meeting to see whether concerns had been resolved. Staff member A stated facility grievance forms were unavailable for a period of time and that 21 grievances from an earlier period had not been investigated. Staff member A also stated she did not know why those grievances had not been investigated or why residents had not received written responses. Review of resident council meeting minutes from January 2025 through January 2026 showed repeated concerns about late medications, long call light times, delayed bathroom assistance, poor food palatability, cold food, missing or incorrect laundry, garbage bins not being emptied, poor room cleaning, limited administration contact, and other care concerns. Review of grievance forms showed no forms from a later period and 21 of 39 grievances lacked documentation of investigation, resolution, or notification of resolution. The posted grievance procedure stated the administrator oversees the grievance process, department managers respond within five business days, and the person with the grievance has the right to a written decision.

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 F0565 citations
Unresolved Resident Council Dietary Concerns
B
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Unresolved Resident Council Dietary Concerns: Residents repeatedly voiced ongoing food and meal service complaints, including unmet preferences, late meals, missing snacks, and inconsistent tray delivery. Council minutes showed the same dietary issues carried forward month after month without clear resolution, while residents and the Dietary Mgr confirmed the concerns continued despite repeated discussion with facility leadership.

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 Report Resident Concern to Administration
D
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

A resident with cognitive impairment, mood disorder, and anxiety reported that a nurse aide would lay on her in bed at night. Another aide later confirmed the resident had told her this concern and said she did not report it to administration because she did not believe it was plausible. The DON and Administrator stated that any staff member receiving such a report was expected to notify administration.

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.
Resident Council Grievances Not Addressed
B
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident Council grievances about weekend housekeeping and unlabeled or missing clothing items were not effectively resolved or communicated. Meeting minutes documented repeated concerns over two months, and residents stated their grievances were not being addressed. The Activities Director said she relied on others to handle and report back on grievances, while the DON was unaware of any Resident Council grievance process and the Administrator could not explain how the concerns were being addressed.

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.
Resident Council Concerns Not Documented or Returned to Council
E
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident Council concerns were not fully documented or brought back to the council for discussion. Residents reported issues with menu options and tough meat, especially roast beef, and asked for the DM to attend meetings, but those concerns were not reflected in the council minutes for multiple months. The AD said she emailed department managers about concerns, but she did not document all concerns or responses in the minutes, and the DON stated the expectation was that concerns and resolutions be recorded and reviewed with the council.

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.
Resident Council Concerns Not Documented or Resolved
E
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Resident Council concerns were not addressed or tracked in meeting minutes for multiple residents who regularly attended. Residents said the Administrator ran the meetings, concerns were not followed up on, and prior issues never appeared as old business or with documented resolution in later meetings. The AD and Administrator both confirmed the minutes lacked evidence of resident concern resolution.

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 Address Resident Council Concerns
E
F0565 F565: Honor the resident's right to organize and participate in resident/family groups in the facility.
Short Summary

Failure to Address Resident Council Concerns: A resident council repeatedly raised concerns about cold food, laundry not being returned or put away, plastic ware and paper plates, lack of help with meals, and staff using phones or earbuds during resident care. Meeting minutes over several months did not show that prior concerns were answered or that follow-up was communicated back to the council, and residents stated they felt their concerns were not addressed.

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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