Failure to Respond to Resident Call Lights in a Timely Manner
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency related to residents' rights to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and exercise of rights when call lights were not answered in a timely manner. Grievance forms dated December 8 and 28, 2025, and February 3 and 26, 2026, documented residents having to wait extended periods for assistance with various activities. Resident Council minutes from February 6, 2026, recorded that six residents attended and reported that staff needed to answer call lights more quickly. The facility’s Call Light policy dated January 2026 stated that resident call lights would be answered in a timely manner, that all staff should assist in answering call lights, that nursing staff should promptly respond and cancel call lights upon entering the room, and that bathroom lights should be treated as emergencies requiring immediate attention. For one resident (R76) reviewed for call light response, the medical record showed admission on February 21, 2026, with multiple diagnoses including seasonal allergic rhinitis, polyneuropathy, COPD, autoimmune hepatitis, asthma, hypoxemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications, Parkinsonism, and the presence of right artificial knee and left artificial shoulder joints following joint replacement surgeries. On March 3, 2026, a CNA (V27) stated that staff should answer call lights in a timely manner but acknowledged that this does not always occur. On the same date, a family member (V30) reported that on February 25, 2026, the resident’s call light was not answered for over 30 minutes, and when the family member approached the nurse’s station, multiple staff members were going on break while multiple call lights were activated and visible above resident doors and sounding at the nurse’s station. On March 4, 2026, an admission nurse/LPN (V6) and the Administrator (V1) with the Corporate Nurse (V23) stated that staff should answer call lights within 10–15 minutes and should not leave the unit or go on break while call lights are activated, and they reported being unaware of staff failing to respond to call lights before going on break.
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