Failure to Provide Accessible Posting of State Agency and Ombudsman Contact Information
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure that required State Agency and Ombudsman contact information was prominently displayed in a location and manner accessible to residents, including those using wheelchairs. During a Resident Council group interview, three residents reported they did not know where to find information for the local Ombudsman or how to contact the State Agency with concerns. One resident stated he could ask the Activities Director for the information. These residents lived on the third floor, where residents were not allowed to access the first floor without staff supervision due to the presence of residents on the third floor who were considered elopement risks. An observation of the third floor revealed no visible postings of State Agency or Ombudsman information. Further observation on the first floor showed that the required State Agency information was posted on the wall next to the elevators, but the posting did not include the Ombudsman’s contact information. During an interview and observation with the Activities Director, the State Agency informational poster was measured at 58 inches from the ground, and the Activities Director acknowledged it would be difficult for a person in a wheelchair to see the information at that height. The Director of Nursing confirmed that residents on the third floor were not given the elevator code and had to be accompanied by staff to go downstairs. The facility’s Resident Rights policy stated that information must be provided to each resident in a form and manner the resident can access and understand, and that the facility must post the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all pertinent State client advocacy groups, including the State survey and certification agency and the State ombudsman program, among others, as required by 410 IAC 16.23.1-4(j)(3).
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