Inspection Findings:
C270-G
Based on observation, interview ,and record review, it was determined the facility failed to ensure short term changes of condition had documented progress monitored at least weekly through resolution, evaluated effectiveness of current interventions, and determined additional interventions as needed for 5 of 5 sampled residents (#s 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). Resident 2 experienced increased behaviors and ongoing pain that was not well controlled and affected his/her daily activities. Findings include, but are not limited to:
1. Resident 2 was admitted to the facility in 11/2021 with diagnoses including Alzheimer’s disease.
Observations of the resident, interviews with staff, and review of the resident's service plan dated 12/20/24 and progress notes dated 11/07/24 to 02/25/25 were completed.
a. Staff indicated the resident had a decline in cognition, increased confusion, required more assistance for ADLs, had been refusing to get out of bed and refusing most meals. The resident also had an increase in pain and felt ill most of the time staff asked how s/he was doing. The resident was difficult to redirect when exit seeking/family seeking and would sometimes confuse other residents for his/her children.
Multiple observations of the resident between 02/25/25 and 02/28/25 showed the resident in bed. The resident did not leave his/her apartment. Staff provided all meals to the apartment. The resident inconsistently responded to a knock or greeting, and was soundly asleep on all but one observation. The resident was observed on one occasion with eyes open, lying in bed. The resident immediately became distressed upon greeting, calling for his/her children, stating in pain, “please help.”
Review of the resident’s progress notes showed the following:
* Progress notes dated 11/07/24 through 01/10/25 showed sporadic complaints of pain. The resident had chronic pain to the low back which PRN medications typically relieved. The resident was showing an increase in self-isolation and sleeping throughout the day in early January 2025.
* On 01/16/25, the resident had blood in his/her urine and stool. The resident was seen by his/her physician and evaluated in the emergency room. The resident was diagnosed with inflammation of the colon and a bladder infection. Multiple antibiotics were ordered on 01/30/25.
* On 02/01/25, the resident began to show an increase in behaviors including striking out at staff, throwing and/or shoving equipment into walls and trying to hit other residents. The resident’s behaviors remained escalated for several days with aggressive behavior towards staff and other residents. Paranoia was noted related to medication administration. The resident would refuse medications and question staff why s/he would take anything from them, “you guys are trying to kill me…”
* Progress notes between 02/03/25 and 02/12/25 showed the resident’s behaviors again escalated with multiple attempts to strike staff and other residents. The resident refused medications and continued to lash out. The resident made statements of “I’m in pain and you are not trying to help me…” “I’m not hungry, I just want to sleep.” The resident continued to state s/he was in pain, with notes continuing to document meal, medication and care refusals. The resident had some nausea and vomiting while holding his/her back and stating s/he was in pain. Complaints of pain with bowel movements were also made by the resident.
* On 02/17/25, the resident stated s/he did not feel well and experienced multiple bouts of diarrhea. The resident was very agitated, calling for family, and complaining of pain. Notes on 02/20/25 indicated the resident had not attended any meals outside of his/her apartment for three days, had multiple complaints of pain that “no medication has been able to manage.”
* On 02/21/25, the resident refused care, refused meals and would not get up out of bed. The resident was offered fluids whenever awake, but s/he would only take a few sips and then lay back down. The resident was sent to the emergency room for evaluation a few hours later. The resident’s family indicated the resident called out repeatedly “help me, help me, I am in pain,” the resident called out that know one cared, repeatedly during the six hours in the ER as well. The resident was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and a new order for antibiotics was received.
* On 02/22/25, the resident was very agitated throughout the night complaining of pain. The resident was given PRN pain medications but continued to be very restless and agitated stating “no one cares,” “please god help me,” and “nothing you give me works.” The resident continued to have complaints of pain and nausea on 02/23/25.
* On 02/24/25, the resident complained of increased pain all day, stayed in bed all day and refused dinner but did drink his/her shake. The resident was noted to have frequent urination, urgency with toileting.
* On 02/28/25, the resident was referred to palliative care due to his/her consistent complaints of pain, refusal to eat, low fluid intake and confusion. The resident’s physician and family were contacted regarding a transport to the emergency room for evaluation. No additional notes reflected an ER trip.
* On 03/01/25, the resident had many complaints of pain in his/her back. The resident refused all food, stayed in bed all day and cried “out the entire day over and over,” stating “I am hurting, I am in pain, why doesn’t anyone care.” The resident continued to have complaints of pain on 03/02/25.
* On 03/03/25, the resident was sent to the emergency room, at the direction of the physician, for evaluation due to altered mental status and not drinking or eating.
The resident’s 12/06/24 signed physician orders showed the following pain medications:
* Acetaminophen 500 mg tablet, take one tablet twice daily PRN for pain or fever. Start with acetaminophen “and or” Ibuprofen before giving narcotic pain medication.
* Diclofenac sodium 1% gel, apply 4 gm topically to affected area four times daily PRN for back pain.
* Oxycodone-Acetaminophen 5-325, take a half a tablet every eight hours, PRN for pain not relieved by “Tylenol, Diclofenac, or Lidocaine patch.”
* Scheduled Lidocaine patch on for 12 hours then off 12 hours for back pain.
* Scheduled acetaminophen, 500 mg tablet, take two tablets twice a day for pain.
The resident’s 02/01/25 to 02/25/25 2025 MAR showed the following:
* Acetaminophen was administered 21 times for pain levels of 5 out of 10 pain and higher.
* The pain level noted on the MAR was 8 of 10 or higher on 12 of the 21 occasions.
* Diclofenac gel was applied 13 times; no pain level was noted and five of the 13 occasions no acetaminophen had been administered prior.
* Oxycodone was administered on 15 occasions, plus two additional occasions that were not recorded on the MAR but were documented on the narcotic disposition log. No pain levels were noted for any of the administrations.
* Six of the 15 occasions oxycodone was administered, exception notes on the MAR indicated the medication was not effective. No other information was documented about controlling the resident’s pain.
In interviews with staff between 02/25/25 and 02/28/25 the following was determined:
Staff 10, 11 and 15 (MTs) indicated the resident had declined over the last several weeks. The resident had more complaints of pain, was eating less due to the pain, had nausea and stayed in bed far more than s/he used to. The staff indicated the resident had scheduled and PRN medications for his/her pain, but they were not always effective. Staff 11 stated they had to give the resident his/her PRN Tylenol, Diclofenac gel and scheduled Lidocaine patch and determine they were ineffective, before the resident could get his/her PRN Oxycodone.
Staff 17, 20 and 22 (CGs) indicated the resident was able to eat on own, could also transfer and walk on his/her own but needed more assistance over the last few weeks. The staff indicated the resident had been isolating in his/her apartment and refused to get out of bed. Staff 20 stated the resident had only come out of his/her room a few times since the beginning of the month. Staff 22 further indicated the resident’s meal intake recently was very poor; the resident had a lot of pain and was frequently nauseous as well. The staff stated the resident would refuse care, meals and to get up because of the pain.
Staff 21 (CG) indicated the resident had not come out of his/her room much at all over the last few weeks. The resident was not eating well, had a lot of complaints of pain and not feeling well. The staff stated the resident was able to complete some ADLs on his/her own, but it was safer to have at least the standby assistance if not a one person assist. Staff 21 stated when the resident had pain s/he refused almost everything offered.
The resident’s increased behaviors, increased pain and overall decline in condition was not monitored with interventions implemented, determined effectiveness of those interventions, resident specific instructions provided to staff to maintain resident comfort and safety. Staff were given unclear parameters on when to medicate the resident with what medications, for what pain level and what to do when the medication did not relieve the resident’s pain. Additionally, a lack of onsite RN oversight affected how quickly the resident received services and interventions to address the behaviors, infection and pain, putting the resident at unnecessary risk for harm.
b. The resident experienced multiple short-term changes without documented monitoring at least weekly until resolution, interventions were not reviewed for effectiveness and/or lacked resident-specific directions to staff in the following areas:
* Skin rashes to multiple areas;
* Emergency room visits;
* Feeling ill, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea;
* Medication changes;
* Resident to resident altercations;
* Non-injury falls; and
* Blood on bottom, in urine and stool.
The need to ensure short-term changes of condition had documentation to reflect monitoring at least weekly to resolution, interventions implemented and reevaluated for effectiveness and provided clear, resident-specific directions to staff was discussed with Staff 1 (ED), Staff 6 (Memory Care Coordinator) and Staff 24 (Regional Director of Operations) on 03/03/25. The staff acknowledged the findings.
2. Resident 3 was admitted to the facility in 01/2024 with diagnoses including dementia.
Observations of the resident, interviews with staff, and review of the resident's service plan dated 12/24/24 and progress notes dated 11/01/24 to 02/25/25 were completed.
The resident experienced multiple short-term changes without documented monitoring at least weekly until resolution, interventions were not reviewed for effectiveness and/or lacked resident-specific directions to staff in the following areas:
* Behaviors, increased confusion and disrobing;
* Bruises, scratches and abrasions;
* Skin injury;
* Emergency room visit;
* Feeling ill, constipation, increased pain;
* Increased hand tremors;
* Medication changes; and
* Falls and head injury.
The need to ensure short-term changes of condition had documentation to reflect monitoring at least weekly to resolution, interventions implemented and reevaluated for effectiveness and provided clear, resident-specific directions to staff was discussed with Staff 1 (ED), Staff 6 (Memory Care Coordinator) and Staff 24 (Regional Director of Operations) on 03/03/25. The staff acknowledged the findings.
3. Resident 5 was admitted to the facility in 08/2023 with diagnoses including dementia.
Observations of the resident, interviews with staff, and review of the resident's service plan dated 12/05/24 and progress notes dated 11/01/24 to 02/27/25 were completed.
The resident experienced multiple short-term changes without documented monitoring at least weekly until resolution, interventions were not reviewed for effectiveness and/or lacked resident-specific directions to staff in the following areas:
* Bruises to the right upper arm and left wrist;
* Skin tear to the right breast and the lower buttocks;
* Choking episodes;
* Non-injury fall;
* Rash and skin irritation; and
* Right forearm pinched in the wheelchair.
The need to ensure short-term changes of condition had documentation to reflect monitoring at least weekly to resolution, interventions implemented and reevaluated for effectiveness and provided clear, resident-specific directions to staff was discussed with Staff 1 (ED), Staff 6 (Memory Care Coordinator) and Staff 24 (Regional Director of Operations) on 03/03/25. The staff acknowledged the findings.
4. Resident 1 moved into the community in 02/2024 with diagnoses including dementia and type 1 diabetes.
The resident’s progress notes dated 11/27/24 through 02/20/25 were reviewed, and interviews with staff were conducted.
There was no documented evidence the following changes of condition were monitored to resolution.
* 12/27/24 – change in Aspart and Lantus insulins; and
* 01/10/25 – skin breakdown on top of buttocks.
The need to ensure short-term changes of condition were monitored weekly with progress noted to resolution was discussed with Staff 1 (ED), Staff 6 (Memory Care Coordinator), and Staff 26 (Regional Director of Operations) on 03/03/25. They acknowledged the findings, and no additional information was provided.
5. Resident 4 moved into the community in 02/2025 with diagnoses including dementia and anxiety.
The resident experienced a 12.8 pound weight gain from 01/23/25 to 02/11/25, which constituted a severe 9.7% weight gain in 19 days, requiring an RN assessment.
In an interview on 02/2/25, Staff 6 (Memory Care Coordinator) reported she was not aware of the weight gain, so it had not been referred to the facility RN for a significant change of condition assessment.
The need to ensure significant changes of condition were evaluated and referred to the facility RN for a timely assessment was discussed with Staff 1 (ED) and Staff 6 on 02/25/25. They acknowledged the findings.
Refer to C280, example 4.
OAR 411-054-0040 (1-2) Change of Condition and Monitoring
(1) CHANGE OF CONDITION. These rules define a resident's change of condition as either short term or significant with the following meanings: (a) Short term change of condition means a change in the resident's health or functioning that is expected to resolve or be reversed with minimal intervention or is an established, predictable, cyclical pattern associated with a previously diagnosed condition. (b) Significant change of condition means a major deviation from the most recent evaluation that may affect multiple areas of functioning or health that is not expected to be short term and imposes significant risk to the resident.(c) If a resident experiences a significant change of condition that is a major deviation in the resident's health or functional abilities, the facility must evaluate the resident, refer to the facility nurse, document the change, and update the service plan as needed. (d) If a resident experiences a short-term change of condition that is expected to resolve or reverse with minimal intervention, the facility must determine and document what action or intervention is needed for the resident. (A) The determined action or intervention must be communicated to staff on each shift. (B) The documentation of staff instructions or interventions must be resident specific and made part of the resident record with weekly progress noted until the condition resolves. (2) MONITORING. The facility must have written policies to ensure a resident monitoring and reporting system is implemented 24-hours a day. The policies must specify staff responsibilities and identify criteria for notifying the administrator, registered nurse, or healthcare provider. The facility must: (a) Monitor each resident consistent with his or her evaluated needs and service plan; (b) Train staff to identify changes in the resident's physical, emotional and mental functioning and document and report on the resident's changes of condition; (c) Have a reporting protocol with access to a designated staff person, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, who can determine if a change in the resident's condition requires further action; and (d) Provide written communication of a resident's change of condition, and any required interventions, for caregivers on each shift.
This Rule is not met as evidenced by: