F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
E

Homelike Environment Not Maintained

Regalcare At LowellLowell, Massachusetts Survey Completed on 03-10-2026

Summary

The facility failed to maintain a homelike environment on 1 of 2 units. The cited policy stated that a homelike environment should de-emphasize the institutional character of the setting, allow residents to use personal belongings that support a homelike environment, and be orderly, clean, and well-kept. During a tour of the first floor unit, surveyors observed extensive environmental damage in multiple resident rooms and common areas, including significant scuff marks, missing paint, exposed plaster, gouges in walls, broken or peeling wallpaper, stained ceilings and walls, broken blinds, broken closet doors, chipped flooring, missing baseboard pieces, loose towel rods, a mirror resting behind grab bars, and a shower without a head or handle. Additional observations on the unit included dark debris on walls, brown stains and scuffs on walls and bathroom doors, mismatched paint patches, broken bulletin boards, a broken metal plate on a wall, missing wallpaper in hallways, holes in walls, and stained carpet outside the main dining room. In one room, a resident told the surveyor, "I already told maintenance about that cause it freaks me out to look at." In another room, a resident said the condition was "disgusting" and stated, "we shouldn't have to live like this." One resident refused access to the surveyor to observe the room. During interview, the Maintenance Director said he rounds daily and uses Thursdays for projects to improve resident rooms. He acknowledged awareness of mismatched paint and peeling wallpaper, stating he had brought the concern to the Nursing Home Administrator. He also said he did not have the correct paint colors to replace missing paint and that the NHA told him to paint with what he had. He further stated that peeling wallpaper was something that could not just be bought.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $61,050
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0584 citations
Unclean Bed Linens
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Unclean Bed Linens: A resident with hypothyroidism and chronic diastolic heart failure had a pillowcase with several dry dark brown/red areas and sheets that appeared gray and unclean. The resident could not remember the last time the linens were changed, and the DON confirmed the linens should have been changed.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Dirty Resident Room and Respiratory Equipment
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Dirty Resident Room and Respiratory Equipment: A resident with dysphagia, a feeding tube, and a tracheostomy had a room observed with a dirty fan, debris on the mattress, dust and dried debris on the O2 concentrator and trach machine, and a dirty towel on the bed. A family member reported the area by the bed was often dirty from tube feeding, and an LPN Resident Care Manager agreed the room was dirty and needed daily cleaning.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Missing Baseboards on Second-Floor Hallway and Resident Room
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A resident’s room and the second-floor hallway had missing baseboards, including under the window in the room and periodically along both sides of the hall. During interview, an Mnt. employee stated the machine must be hitting them and that they had been taken off.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Damaged Resident Room Wall Left in Disrepair
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

A resident room wall near the window was observed damaged and in disrepair, with a crack large enough for an ink pen to be inserted through it. The Maintenance Director said he knew about the damage after the resident reported it about 2 weeks earlier and believed it was caused by an AC leak. The damaged area covered about 6 square feet, while the Administrator said she was not aware of it and that the facility did not have a specific audit for wall or structural integrity checks.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Unsafe and Deteriorated Resident Room Conditions
D
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

Unsafe and Deteriorated Resident Room Conditions: Surveyors observed multiple resident rooms with broken, rusted, unsecured, and deteriorated conditions, including a hanging drawer front, scuffed and chipped walls, missing wall trim/chair rails, rust on a bedframe and AC shelf, a broken bathroom tile, and a gallon of Clorox stored in a bathroom. The Maintenance Director acknowledged the environmental conditions during the walkthrough, and photographic evidence was obtained.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Cleanliness, Safety, and Equipment Sanitation Deficiencies
E
F0584 F584: Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Short Summary

The facility failed to maintain a clean, safe, and homelike environment. Surveyors observed dirty hallway vents, ceiling areas with residue, damaged walls, protruding door panel edges, missing tile and cracked flooring in shower areas, and multiple unsanitary conditions in resident rooms, including cracked light covers with bugs, uncovered soiled items, and substances on floors, mattresses, bed sheets, and bedside tables. Two residents’ wheelchairs also had dried substances and hair buildup, and staff acknowledged some areas needed repair or cleaning.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Citation search

Search every citation & Plan of Correction

Go to search
Citation watch

Track new serious citations across Massachusetts

Get a heads-up on the newest immediate-jeopardy (J–L) citations in Massachusetts — where surveyors are focused right now.

Free · about one email a month

Trusted data from CMS and state health departments

Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 8, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.

In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.

The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.

Get the Survey-Prep Report
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Connection lost — reconnecting… We couldn't reconnect automatically. Please reload the page to continue.