Resident Belongings Removed and Poorly Inventoried Without Notification
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to respect a resident’s right to retain and use personal possessions and to maintain an accurate inventory of those belongings. The resident, who had cerebral palsy, a developmental motor disorder, and dysphagia, was admitted with an inventory list that included clothing, an E‑Reader/iPad, a backpack, a stuffed animal, hair accessories, a wheelchair tool kit, a bathing suit, an iPad stand, a wheelchair, and cushions. The most recent inventory list on file was dated in 2023 and did not reflect all of the resident’s belongings. Staff, including a CNA and the SW, acknowledged that many items present in the resident’s room, such as plants, books, stuffed animals, lotions, blankets, clothing, jackets, nightlights, and pictures, were not documented on the inventory sheet, and that the list was “quite bare” and required updating. The resident’s Guardian reported arriving to find the cupboard in the resident’s room completely empty, although it had previously contained food items, candy, Tupperware, ceramic mugs from vacations, a soup bowl from the resident’s great grandmother, approximately $75 in gift cards, and greeting cards from deceased relatives. The Guardian was not notified that these items had been removed and filed a grievance about the missing property. The SW later learned from the DON that staff had removed the resident’s belongings from the room and placed them in a secure cabinet due to an upcoming survey, and that the gift cards could not be located. The facility’s own policies stated that all personal effects were to be inventoried upon admission and that all items subsequently brought into the facility were to be added to the inventory form, but this was not done for this resident, and belongings were removed from the room without prior notification to the Guardian or documentation on the inventory list.
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