Failure to Provide Scheduled Bathing and Hair Care for Dependent Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely bathing and hair washing assistance to a dependent resident in accordance with her care plan, stated preferences, and facility policy. The resident was admitted with diagnoses including acute kidney failure, adult failure to thrive, and depression, and an MDS assessment documented that she was cognitively intact. Her care plan identified a risk for self-care deficit with bathing, dressing, and feeding, with interventions to encourage participation in planning day-to-day care, evaluate her ability to perform self-care, minimize environmental stimuli, and provide ADL assistance as needed. The shower task list scheduled her to receive showers on the night shift on Sundays and Thursdays. However, review of shower documentation over a 30‑day period showed she received only two showers or bed baths, on 03/06/26 and 03/22/26, with no additional showers documented and no refusals recorded. During observations on two separate days, the resident’s hair appeared greasy and unwashed. In interviews conducted immediately following these observations, the resident stated she preferred to have a shower or bed bath at least twice a week with hair washing on those days, and she reported that she had not had her hair washed in weeks and was not receiving bathing at the frequency she preferred. A subsequent observation again showed her hair to be greasy and unwashed, and she confirmed she still had not received a shower or hair washing. The DON confirmed that residents were to receive showers and hair washing per their scheduled preferences and that staff were required to document this care in the medical record, and also confirmed that this resident had documentation of only two showers or bed baths in the 30‑day review period with no documented refusals. Facility policy stated that residents unable to carry out ADLs independently would receive services necessary to maintain grooming and personal hygiene, which was not met in this case.
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