F0550

D

Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity During Meal Assistance and Laundry Services

Raleigh, North Carolina Survey Completed on 02-12-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves failure to honor residents' rights to dignity and respect during care and daily routines. For Resident #72, who had cognitive communication deficit, muscle weakness, and was assessed as severely cognitively impaired, surveyors observed a nurse aide assisting her with breakfast while simultaneously watching a video on a personal cell phone. The aide sat at the head of the bed with the bedside table perpendicular to the bed and the phone placed on the table out of the resident’s view, playing a video with closed captioning and no sound. The aide’s attention alternated between the video and the resident as she offered bites of food. In interview, the aide stated no one had told her she could not watch a show on her phone while assisting residents with meals and reported she was watching a vampire series.

Resident #72’s responsible party stated it was a disgrace that the resident’s caregiver divided attention between personal entertainment and the resident’s care. He emphasized that because the resident relied on staff for assistance, the aide should be fully present and 100% involved in providing care, and not focused on personal entertainment during meal assistance. The Regional Director of Clinical Services indicated uncertainty about whether the resident could respond to the aide and whether watching a video while assisting with a meal was a dignity concern, and acknowledged there was no facility policy regarding staff cell phone use. The Administrator similarly stated he would not recommend aides watch shows on their phones while assisting residents with meals and was unsure if it was a dignity concern, noting he would need to check the cell phone policy.

For Resident #106, who was cognitively intact with no behaviors, the deficiency involved failure to ensure timely return of personal clothing, resulting in her wearing a hospital gown for three days and remaining in her room. The resident reported she had four house coats that were picked up by a nurse aide for laundry on a Friday, with the usual practice being same-day return, but as of several days later the laundry had not been returned and she had no other clothes. She stated she had been in a hospital gown since the laundry pickup, felt annoyed that she could not get dressed, and did not feel comfortable leaving her room while wearing a hospital gown, so she stayed in her room. Staff interviews revealed that the Housekeeping Director initially stated the clothes had been returned the same day but later corrected herself, acknowledging the items had not been laundered as scheduled and that staff had been looking for the resident’s clothes over the weekend, with the clothing ultimately not returned to the resident until several days after pickup. The Administrator stated he expected laundry for that hall to be completed on the scheduled day so residents would have their own clothing to wear.