Failure to Assist Dependent Resident With Eating
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide needed assistance with eating to a dependent resident. During an observation on 3/26/26 from 9:11 a.m. to 9:35 a.m., Resident B, who was sitting up in bed with a blank stare and speaking nonsensically and repetitively, had a meal tray placed in front of her on a bedside table. The food on the tray was uncovered and uneaten, and throughout the observation period Resident B did not acknowledge the meal tray. At 9:31 a.m., a CNA entered the room, questioned why Resident B had not eaten, and then picked up a spoon and offered her scrambled eggs. The CNA stated that staff should have been in the room to assist Resident B with eating. Record review showed that Resident B had diagnoses including dementia, malnutrition, and heart failure. An Annual MDS dated 12/22/26 documented that Resident B was severely cognitively impaired, had complaints of difficulty and pain with swallowing, and was on a mechanically altered diet. A care plan dated 9/24/20 and current through 6/9/26 indicated that Resident B required assistance with ADLs, including eating, related to a recent hospitalization, with interventions that included assisting with eating and drinking as needed. During an interview, an RN stated the meal tray should not have been left in front of Resident B and that the CNA should have brought the tray in, prepared the meal, and assisted her to eat immediately.
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