F0561

E

Failure to Honor Resident Bathing Preferences and Maintain Consistent Shower Schedules

Coupeville, Washington Survey Completed on 02-26-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to honor and support resident choice and preferences regarding bathing schedules for two residents. One resident with dementia and severe cognitive impairment had a care plan noting frequent shower refusals and a need for maximal assistance, but the plan did not direct staff on what to do when showers were refused. Documentation showed this resident went extended periods between showers, including 36 days and then 19 days, with multiple refusals recorded and some days marked as not applicable. Progress notes contained only one detailed entry of a refusal, where the resident stated she bathed herself at the sink each morning and did not want a shower with someone else present, and there was no documentation in the electronic medical record of the resident’s bathing preferences or how she wished to be bathed.

A second resident, cognitively intact with left-sided hemiplegia after a stroke, had a care plan indicating a preference for two showers per week per the facility schedule and a need for maximal assistance. However, documentation showed this resident was showered infrequently, with gaps of over two weeks between showers, multiple refusals, and several entries marked as not applicable or not available. Nursing progress notes for this resident contained no documentation of shower refusals. Multiple NACs reported that residents were scheduled for two showers weekly, that they attempted re-approaches and notified nurses of refusals, and that refusals were documented in the electronic record. An RN/Regional Director of Clinical Operations confirmed via email that the facility did not have a resident shower policy. These findings show that resident bathing choices and preferences were not consistently honored or clearly documented for the two residents.