F0689

G

Failure to Implement and Develop Effective Fall-Prevention Interventions for Multiple Residents

Kenesaw, Nebraska Survey Completed on 02-17-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to ensure a safe environment and adequate supervision to prevent accidents, including falls, for multiple residents. For one resident with dementia, confusion, lack of safety awareness, and a history of falls with injury, the care plan identified the resident as high risk for falls and included specific interventions such as keeping the resident in visual range, not leaving the resident unattended in a wheelchair, and keeping the specialized Broda chair reclined unless staff were sitting with the resident. Despite these interventions, the resident was observed seated in a tilted Broda wheelchair in the dining room without staff nearby. Earlier in the month, this resident had a witnessed fall from the wheelchair in the dining room when the chair was not tilted back as required, resulting in the resident leaning forward, tumbling out of the chair, and sustaining a head laceration and subdural hematoma that required hospital admission.

For a second resident with hemiplegia, a below-knee amputation, and dependence on staff for transfers, the MDS and care plan specified that the resident required a full mechanical Hoyer lift with two staff for all transfers. A sign above the bed also indicated the resident was a full Hoyer lift with two-person assist. Despite these documented requirements, two nurse aides performed a pivot transfer without using the Hoyer lift, during which the resident reported feeling weak and fell, becoming stuck between a shower chair and the wall and sustaining right chest pain that required emergency room evaluation. The facility’s own records showed that this fall was not followed by completion of a fall risk assessment or post-fall data collection, even though the facility’s risk management policy required all accidents and incidents, including falls, to be reported, investigated, and accompanied by triggered assessments.

For a third resident admitted with a stroke affecting the left side and a seizure disorder, the MDS showed the resident used a wheelchair or walker, had unilateral range-of-motion limitations, required assistance with mobility and toileting, and had experienced falls without injury since admission. The care plan identified the resident as high risk for falls and included a general intervention to review information on past falls and determine root causes. Facility incident and post-fall documentation showed this resident had multiple falls over several days, with identified potential root causes including inability to use the standard call light due to hand function, lack of non-skid footwear, lighting issues, and attempts to self-transfer to the bathroom related to toileting needs. Although some interventions were added, such as a pressure call light, side rails, a bed alarm, nonskid strips, and anti-rollbacks on the wheelchair, the care plan did not consistently incorporate interventions directly tied to the documented root causes, such as addressing toileting needs, adjusting toileting schedules, or ensuring non-skid socks and improved lighting. The MDS Coordinator and DON confirmed that the facility did not have a fall policy and that interventions for this resident were not consistently based on the identified root causes of the falls.

Additionally, interviews with facility staff confirmed systemic gaps in fall prevention processes. The MDS Coordinator stated that the facility did not have policies and procedures for falls or for resident lifts and transfers, and acknowledged that while incident reports and certain assessments were expected after falls, they were not always completed or used to drive care plan changes based on root cause analysis. For the resident with multiple falls, the MDS Coordinator confirmed that the resident’s toileting schedule and habits had not been evaluated despite toileting being identified as a root cause in several post-fall assessments. The DON confirmed that root causes should guide interventions and acknowledged that the interventions placed for this resident were not based on the documented root causes. These findings collectively demonstrate failures to implement existing care plan interventions, to use required equipment and assistance levels during transfers, and to develop and revise fall-prevention interventions in response to identified causal factors.