Failure to Provide Bed Accommodating Resident’s Height
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to reasonably accommodate an individual resident’s need for a bed suited to his height. The resident was admitted with diagnoses including hemiplegia and hemiparesis, muscle weakness, cognitive communication deficit, aphasia, and dysphagia, and his record showed a height of 73 inches. During observation, he was seen lying in bed with the head of the bed slightly elevated, his knees bent, and his left foot extending off the wooden foot end of the bed. When asked about his comfort, he reported that he was 6 feet 2 inches tall and that a longer bed would be more comfortable. He demonstrated that when he placed his feet on the bed, his knees were forced upward, and there was only a small amount of mattress above his head. In interviews, the DON stated he was not sure if a longer bed was available for this resident. The Administrator later reported that staff did not know the resident wanted a longer bed and could not say whether any staff had noticed that his feet were hanging off the foot of the bed. These findings occurred despite the facility’s Accommodation of Needs policy, which states the facility will evaluate and make reasonable accommodations for each individual’s needs and preferences, except when health and safety would be at risk.
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