Failure to Inventory and Label Resident Clothing and Personal Belongings
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to ensure a resident’s right to retain and use personal possessions, including clothing, by not properly inventorying and labeling the resident’s belongings. A female resident with diagnoses including cerebral infarction, sepsis, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety was admitted with moderate cognitive impairment, evidenced by a BIMS score of 08, and required supervision or touching assistance for dressing. Her care plan documented a self-care deficit and the need for staff assistance with dressing, but there was no documentation in her medical record that her personal items were inventoried at admission or at any time during her stay. Record review showed no inventory of the resident’s belongings in her assessments or progress notes from 10/08/2025 to 10/13/2025, and her transfer form indicated that no personal belongings were sent with her when she was transferred to another facility out of state. The resident’s family member reported that approximately 20 brand new clothing items with tags had been purchased for her stay, and that these items were neither returned to the resident nor sent with her upon transfer. The facility’s own transfer documentation confirmed that no personal belongings accompanied the resident. During observations and staff interviews, surveyors found approximately 200–300 pieces of unlabeled resident clothing in the laundry room, including many brand new items with tags, which the Housekeeping Manager stated could not be matched to residents because they lacked names. The Housekeeping Manager reported that she relied on clothing being labeled to return items and that she found unlabeled clothing every day. The DON and Administrator both stated that staff were responsible for inventorying residents’ items at admission and completing the process within 48 hours, but acknowledged there was no designated person assigned to perform this task. The facility’s written policy required that all resident personal items be inventoried at admission by social services or another designated staff member and documented in the medical record, and that the facility exercise reasonable care to protect resident property from loss or theft, which was not followed in this case.
Penalty
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