F0558

D

Failure to Keep Call Lights Within Reach for Dependent Residents

Fairlawn, Ohio Survey Completed on 03-02-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure call lights were within reach for residents who required assistance with activities of daily living. One resident with severe cognitive impairment, dementia, impaired balance, and dependence on staff for ADLs was care planned to have the call light within reach and required staff assistance for bed mobility and transfers via mechanical lift. On two separate observations, this resident was lying in bed on her left side facing the wall, with the bed positioned against the left wall, and the call light was not visible or accessible. The call light cord was wrapped around the right bed handrail and hanging between the handrail and mattress, and the resident stated she did not know where the call light was and could not reach it. An LPN and an RN both had difficulty locating the call light, needing to reach under the bed and follow the cord, and both confirmed that the resident typically lay on her left side facing the wall. Even after the RN attempted to reposition the call light on the right handrail, the resident was still unable to reach it.

Another resident with moderate cognitive impairment, dementia, diabetes, amnesia, edema, and degenerative disease of the nervous system required at least setup assistance for ADLs. During observation, this resident was in bed with the call light placed on a set of drawers approximately three feet from the bed and out of reach. The resident was not interviewable, and an RN confirmed the observation that the call light was not within the resident’s reach. These findings show that for both residents reviewed, staff did not ensure call lights were positioned so that residents could access them as required by their needs and care plans.