Residents Were Exposed to Staff Eating Lunch Before Their Meal Was Served
Summary
The facility failed to protect and promote the rights of residents to dignity and respect for 6 of 11 residents reviewed for dignity and respect, including Resident #14 and Resident #35. Resident #14 was a female with diagnoses including Alzheimer's dementia and major depressive disorder, had an elopement risk assessment indicating she was an elopement risk, and was assigned to the secured unit. Her annual MDS noted a BIMS score of 4, indicating severely compromised cognition, and that she was independently ambulatory and able to feed herself. Resident #35 was a female with diagnoses including dementia, depression, and anxiety, had an elopement risk assessment indicating she was an elopement risk, and was assigned to the secured unit. Her annual MDS noted a BIMS score of 14, indicating intact cognition, and that she was independently ambulatory and able to feed herself. During an observation, six residents, including Resident #14 and Resident #35, were sitting in the secure unit dining room area waiting for lunch to be served while CNA-A and CNA-B were eating their personal lunch in the area that opened to the dining room and was visible to the residents. When told lunch was about to be served, Resident #14 said, "Good, I'm hungry," and Resident #35 waved toward the CNAs and said, "Me too, they're not." In interviews, both residents said it was rude for staff to eat in front of residents who had not eaten. CNA-B said she ate there so she could keep an eye on residents, acknowledged that the residents should not have to watch staff eat when they had nothing to eat, and said she did not consider how it may have looked to the residents. CNA-A said the residents should be treated with courtesy, consideration, and respect and that she and CNA-B should not have been eating lunch in front of residents who had not eaten and were hungry. The DON stated staff were expected to be courteous and respectful and that aides in the secured unit should not have been eating in view of residents when the residents had not eaten and had nothing to eat.
Penalty
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