Resident Privacy and Personal Space Violated by Storage of Non-Resident Items
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to honor a resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment by placing and leaving items that did not belong to the resident in the resident's private storage space. The resident, who had hemiplegia and hemiparesis following a cerebral infarction and other abnormalities of gait and mobility, had been assessed as having the capacity to understand and make decisions, with only mild cognitive impairment. During an observation and interview in the resident's room, surveyors found two boxes of canned soda stored inside the resident's bedside nightstand. The resident stated that the canned soda was not theirs and reported feeling upset that someone had violated their private space. Further observations and interviews with facility staff confirmed that the nightstand was considered the resident's private space and that items not belonging to the resident should not be stored there. The Social Services Director acknowledged that the nightstand was the resident's private space and that anything not belonging to the resident should be removed. The Infection Preventionist and the Director of Nursing both stated that the facility should not leave items that do not belong to residents in their rooms, including inside nightstands and closets, and that residents have the right to use these areas for their own personal belongings. Review of the facility's Resident Rights policy indicated that residents have the right to be treated with respect and dignity, to retain and use personal possessions as space permits, and to a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, which was not upheld in this instance.
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