Failure to Maintain Resident Dignity and Hygiene Before Meals
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure residents were treated in a dignified manner and provided with appropriate hygiene before meals. One resident with severe cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s dementia with agitation, anxiety disorder, and GERD required assistance with toileting and personal hygiene and had no documented refusals of care. Nursing notes showed the last nail care was provided nearly a month prior to the survey observations. On one observation, this resident was in bed with a meal tray present, with a golf ball-sized amount of feces on the rolling walker, visible fecal matter under the fingernails of the left hand, and feces smeared on the front of the gown, which was undone and hanging off one shoulder. During this same observation sequence, a CNA entered the room, donned a glove, removed the feces from the walker but left a visible smear on the surface, and exited without providing any hygiene care to the resident. A second CNA, identified as assigned to the resident, entered only to remove the meal tray and did not return to provide care. An LPN entered briefly, stated they would return with topical cream, and did not return. Later that day, the resident was observed in the dining room with dark brown debris still visible beneath the fingernails of both hands. A meal tray was placed in front of the resident without any hand hygiene being performed, and the resident began eating and retrieving dropped food from their lap with their hands. A CNA interview confirmed the resident should not have been allowed to eat with dirty fingernails and that hygiene should have been provided prior to the meal. A second resident, with vascular dementia, history of falls, and prior stroke, had moderately impaired cognition, was frequently incontinent of bowel and bladder, and required extensive assistance with toileting, personal hygiene, and dressing. The care plan noted possible non-compliance with care and directed staff to reapproach as needed, and nursing notes contained no documentation of refusals of care. This resident was observed eating lunch in the dining room wearing visibly soiled pajama pants and a white shirt, with a strong feces odor present. A CNA later stated the resident had been soiled prior to lunch, care was not provided before the meal due to short staffing, and that a significant amount of stool extending up the resident’s back was found when the resident was taken back to the room after lunch. On another observation, the same resident was found in bed on a pillow without a pillowcase, with a partially removed fitted sheet hanging off the bed, a urine odor in the room, and a sticky, unclean floor; the call light was on the floor next to the bed. When a CNA brought the resident a meal tray and assisted them to a seated position, no hand hygiene was performed before the meal, despite the CNA acknowledging that training included anticipating resident needs and performing hand hygiene. The DON and RN Manager stated expectations that residents receive care prior to meals, be clean and in clean clothing, have hand hygiene before meals, and have properly made beds to promote a homelike environment.
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