Offensive Odors Throughout Facility
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an environment free of offensive odors, with strong urine, ammonia, body, and chemical smells observed throughout multiple hallways, the dining room, activity areas, and resident rooms during the survey period. Surveyors documented pungent urine/ammonia odors in the breezeway, on the 100, 200, and 300 hallways, outside and inside multiple resident rooms, and in the shower room. The odors were described as strong enough to irritate surveyors’ eyes, throat, and sinuses, and in some areas the smell continued down the hall and into the dining room area. The observations also showed repeated handling of soiled briefs, trash, and linens in ways that contributed to the odors. Surveyors saw staff performing incomplete incontinence care for residents who were heavily soiled with urine and feces, then leaving trash bags and soiled linen bags on the floor in hallways or in vacant rooms. In several instances, open trash bags containing soiled incontinence briefs were left exposed to the air, and a strong urine smell remained in rooms after care was provided. A shower room door was observed wide open with running water and a razor on the shower floor, and a pallet of supplies, a Hoyer lift, carts, and other items were placed in a hallway, reducing available space. Resident and family interviews supported the observations. A family member reported that staff did not change a resident’s incontinence brief often enough, leaving the resident frequently wet and sitting in urine. A resident reported waiting long periods after incontinence episodes for help to the bathroom. Staff interviews reflected that some staff noticed the odor throughout the building, while others said they had not noticed it or had become used to it. The DON and Administrator acknowledged concerns about urine odor, carpet cleaning, and staff placing soiled linen and trash bags on the floor.
Penalty
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