Unqualified Staff Member Directing Activities Program
Summary
The facility failed to ensure its activities program was directed by a qualified professional, as required. Review of the personnel record for the Activities Director showed a hire date of 04/02/26 and further revealed that this individual did not meet the qualifications required to serve as an activity director in the facility. An interview with the Regional Director of Clinical Operations confirmed that the Activities Director had been hired on that date and did not meet the requirements to be employed as a qualified activity director. This deficiency had the potential to affect all residents in the facility except for 14 facility-identified residents (#3, #8, #12, #36, #45, #50, #51, #62, #67, #73, #78, #81, #82, and #89) who did not participate in facility activities. The facility census at the time was 91 residents.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
A facility failed to ensure its activity program was directed by a qualified professional after the Activities Director position became vacant. No monthly activities calendar was maintained or posted, activities were mainly held on the second floor, and no organized activities were observed on the third floor. A cognitively intact resident said residents had tried to organize activities themselves because formal activities were not occurring, and staff confirmed the Activities Assistant had no formal training and had not been trained on the duties of the role.
Activities Program Not Directed by a Qualified Professional: The facility failed to ensure its activities program was directed by a qualified professional after the Activity Director abruptly quit and the position remained vacant. The Assistant Activity Director, who was not licensed or registered as a qualified activities professional, was carrying out the AD duties, including scheduling individual and group activities, while the Administrator acknowledged the facility was in non-compliance and the Regional Nurse Consultant stated there was no policy specific to the AD role.
Activities program not directed by a qualified professional. The Administrator stated the Activity Director had quit and an Activities Assistant was filling the role. The acting Activities Director said she had only been in the position for a few weeks, did not have the required certification or license, and was not in a training program to become licensed.
Activities Program Not Directed by a Qualified Professional: A resident reported the facility had been without an activity director for about a month. The ADM and regional clinical director confirmed there was no qualified activity professional in place, the newly hired director was not yet qualified, and OT would oversee the program until qualification was met. The regional clinical director later confirmed the activity program was not being overseen by a qualified person after the prior activity director left.
Activities program not directed by a qualified professional. Surveyors observed only music in the common area and one snack-making activity, with no activity director seen in the facility. The Administrator and Facility Manager confirmed the facility had no current activities director and no staff member with the required qualifications, while one resident said he was often bored and there was not much to do.
Activities Program Directed by Unqualified Professional: The facility failed to ensure the activities program was directed by a qualified professional. The AD file showed no proof of the required MEPAP/ADC qualifications or clear documentation of department changes, and the AD stated she was never trained for the role and did not have proof of certification. The Administrator and HRD could not verify her work history or certification status in the file.
Activity Program Lacked Qualified Direction and Oversight
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide direction and oversight of the activity program by ensuring a qualified professional directed the development, implementation, and coordination of resident activities. The Activities Director position became vacant, and the facility did not maintain leadership of the department. Staff assigned activity responsibilities were not trained or competent to perform the duties of the position, and basic components of the program were not maintained, including the development and distribution of a monthly activities calendar for May 2026. Record review showed residents on the third floor had limited opportunities to participate in organized activities and minimal documented activity attendance. Observation during the survey found no activities calendar posted in common areas or in the elevator, and no organized activities occurring on the third floor. R3, who was cognitively intact with a BIMS score of 15, stated she and another resident had tried to organize activities themselves because no formal activities were occurring, that she never saw the Activities Assistant on the third floor, did not receive an activities calendar, and was not informed about activities elsewhere in the facility. Staff interviews confirmed activities were mainly occurring on the second floor, that the facility had not had an Activities Director since April 2026, that the Activities Assistant had no formal activities training and had not received training on the responsibilities of the position, and that the monthly calendar had not been printed or distributed.
Activities Program Not Directed by a Qualified Professional
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that its activities program was directed by a qualified professional who was a qualified therapeutic recreation specialist or an activities professional licensed or registered by the State. During interview, the Administrator stated that the Activity Director had recently quit and that the position had been vacant for a few weeks, while the Assistant Activity Director stated that the Activity Director quit abruptly at the beginning of April 2026. The Assistant Activity Director also stated that she was neither licensed nor registered as a qualified activities professional. The Assistant Activity Director reported that she was responsible for carrying out the duties of the former Activity Director, including scheduling both individual and group activities, and that she felt overwhelmed by those responsibilities. The Administrator stated that he was actively trying to fill the position, had an advertisement out for the job, and was considering sending the Assistant Activity Director to school for certification. He also stated that the Assistant Activity Director had been directing the activities program and that he understood the facility was in non-compliance. The Regional Nurse Consultant stated that the facility did not have a policy specific to the activity director and followed state regulations for the requirement.
Activities Program Not Directed by a Qualified Professional
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to employ a certified Activities Director. On 5/11/26 at 10:45 AM, the Administrator stated the facility's Activity Director had quit and the Activities Assistant was filling the position for now. On 5/13/26 at 2:10 PM, the acting Activities Director stated she had only been in the position for a few weeks to see if she wanted to take it, and she said she did not have the certification or license and was not in a training program to be licensed.
Activities Program Not Directed by a Qualified Professional
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the activities program was directed by a qualified professional. Resident #55 stated on 5/5/26 that the facility had not had an activity director for about a month. On 5/6/26, the administrator and regional clinical director confirmed the facility did not have a qualified activity professional at that time, and they stated a new activity professional had been hired even though the new director who would be starting was not qualified. They also stated the program would be overseen by occupational therapy until qualification was met. On 5/7/26, the regional clinical director confirmed the activity program was not being overseen by a qualified person and that the previous activity director left on 3/18/26.
Activities Program Not Directed by Qualified Professional
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an activities program directed by a qualified activities professional. During the annual survey, surveyors observed music playing in the common area throughout the days and one snack-making activity with residents, but no other activities were observed and no activity director was seen in the facility. The Administrator and Facility Manager confirmed that the facility did not have a current activities director and did not employ anyone with the required qualifications, stating that someone helped on weekends but did not meet the required qualifications. Resident #2 stated she did not have an issue with the activities because she mostly stayed in her room, watched TV, and did not wish to attend activities, and Resident #26 stated he was often bored and there was not much to do in the facility.
Activities Program Directed by Unqualified Professional
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the activities program was directed by a qualified professional. Review of the job description for the Activity Director position showed the role required completion of MEPAP 1, ADC certification or progress toward it, and at least one year of activity experience in long-term care. Review of the personnel file for Activity Director #876 showed a hire date of 09/09/2020 for housekeeping and a resignation letter dated 08/23/21 from activities, but there were no job descriptions or payroll status changes showing when the employee transferred between housekeeping and activities or what department she moved to after 08/23/21. The personnel file contained no evidence that Activity Director #876 had completed the professional qualifications required for the position. During interviews, she stated she had worked in housekeeping and activities for seven years, started as activity director around 03/19/25, and received her activity certification in March 2026, but she did not have proof of certification. She also stated she was never trained for the activity director position and had no idea what was required. The Administrator stated he was unaware she had worked in housekeeping before becoming activity director and said he promoted her after asking around about her. Human Resources could not verify the dates of her department changes and confirmed there was no evidence in the file that she had successfully completed the required certifications, noting the certification had been requested for over a month.
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