F0550

D

Uncovered Urinary Collection Bag Compromises Resident Dignity

Mattoon, Illinois Survey Completed on 01-29-2026

Penalty

44 days payment denial

Summary

Surveyors identified a deficiency related to resident dignity when a resident with an indwelling urinary catheter was observed with an uncovered urinary collection bag in public view. On 1/22/26 at 12:49 PM, the resident was seated in a wheelchair in her room with the door open, and the urinary collection bag, containing approximately 100 cc of yellow urine, was placed on the right armrest of the wheelchair. The bag and its contents were clearly visible to anyone walking in the hallway. The facility’s dignity policy dated February 2021 states that residents are to be treated with dignity at all times, that demeaning practices and standards of care that compromise dignity are prohibited, and that staff are expected to promote dignity by helping residents keep urinary catheter bags covered.

During interview at the same time, the resident reported that her dignity was "all but lost" in the nursing home, referencing catheter and perineal care that required her to lie on the bed with her legs wide open. She stated that when she went out of the facility, she would place her urinary collection bag in her purse to keep it from public view, and that her grandchildren had reacted negatively to seeing the bag, calling it gross. Later that afternoon, the DON and a regional nurse observed the resident in the activity room with four other residents, again with the urinary collection bag uncovered. The DON confirmed the bag should not have been uncovered and noted the facility typically used specialized bags with built-in flaps to conceal urine, while the regional nurse indicated the bag in use likely came from a recent hospital stay documented as occurring from 1/12/26 to 1/13/26.