Failure to Protect and Inventory Residents’ Personal Belongings
Summary
The facility failed to protect residents’ personal belongings and did not follow its policy to inventory and document personal property upon admission and update it as needed. Four sampled residents were involved: one resident with severe cognitive impairment, two residents with no cognitive impairment, and one resident with intact cognition. The deficiency was based on observation, interview, and record review showing missing clothing and personal items, incomplete or absent inventories, and unresolved concerns about laundry and lost belongings. For one resident with diagnoses including stroke with hemiparesis and hemiplegia, dementia, and depression, the responsible party reported that many items were missing and had to be replaced. The resident’s personal effects inventory listed clothing and personal items, but multiple later handwritten missing-item lists showed blankets, pants, shirts, socks, and other belongings that were not found. The grievance record stated that not all items had been found and that the issue remained unresolved. During observation in the laundry area, staff acknowledged that residents’ clothing was still mixed together, many items had no names or labels, and there were ongoing issues with residents’ personal clothing. Two other residents with BIMS scores of 13 stated they were missing personal items but had not reported them. One resident said a hair clipper was missing, and the medical record director confirmed it was not on the admission inventory and the inventory had not been updated. Another resident reported missing clothing and said the second set of clothes provided by family was also stolen, while the medical record director confirmed there was no inventory record in either the electronic record or hard chart. A fourth resident with intact cognition stated socks were missing from laundry and that the concern raised in the resident council meeting had not been resolved. The medical record director also provided an inventory for this resident dated after admission, but the admission inventory was not provided. The facility policy stated that residents’ personal belongings and clothing are to be inventoried and documented upon admission and updated as necessary, and the resident rights policy stated residents may retain and use personal possessions to the maximum extent space and safety permit.
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.