Failure to Maintain Clean, Homelike Environment in Resident Room
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a clean, homelike environment for one resident when a privacy curtain and the ceiling above the resident’s bed remained visibly soiled for an extended period. The resident, admitted with cervical radiculopathy and depression among other diagnoses, reported that the privacy curtain between his and his roommate’s beds had not been washed for over a year. Surveyor observation confirmed two brown smears, a cluster of dark gray splatter-like spots, and an area of white crusty substance on the curtain. The resident also identified a brown splatter on the ceiling above his bed, which he stated was chocolate pudding that had been present for about nine to ten months. The resident expressed feeling frustrated that staff were not doing their jobs to keep his living environment clean. During an observation and interview, the Environmental Services Supervisor (ESS) verified the stains on the privacy curtain and the brown splatter on the ceiling and agreed they needed to be cleaned. ESS stated she conducted spot checks of rooms to ensure EVS staff were cleaning to her standards but acknowledged she had not noticed the soiled curtain or ceiling and that she and the housekeeper likely did not look up during daily cleaning and checks. ESS reported that a deep clean routine, including washing privacy curtains, had only recently been started in March 2026 and that the resident’s room had not yet received a deep clean due to a Covid outbreak that halted the process. ESS further stated that prior to March 2026 there was no set routine for washing privacy curtains or deep cleaning rooms. The Administrator stated that soiled privacy curtains absolutely needed to be changed and were expected to be washed on a routine schedule. The facility’s Homelike Environment policy indicated residents are to be provided with a safe, comfortable, homelike, clean, and sanitary environment.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Trusted data from CMS and state health departments
Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release August 26, 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.