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32 | It was alleged that, due to lack of care and supervision by facility staff, R1, who is bedridden and wheelchair bound, sustained a right femur fracture which required hospitalization. Per R1’s Physician’s Report dated March 23, 2024, R1 has Dementia, is non-ambulatory and uses a wheelchair, and leans forward while in a wheelchair which indicates that R1 is a fall risk. Four staff described that R1 needs assistance with all activities of daily living, spends a majority of their time in bed, cannot get out of bed or their wheelchair alone and does not attempt to do so, and requires two staff to transfer between their bed and wheelchair. Per Staff #1 (S1), on July 15, 2024, between 5:30AM and 6:00AM, they checked on R1, observed R1 moving around in bed, was starting to change R1 but heard a noise like a bone moving, did not observe any visible injuries, and reported the issue to Staff #2 (S2) and Staff #3 (S3) at shift change. S1 worked the overnight shift from 10:30PM on July 14, 2024, to 7:00AM on July 15, 2024, and had changed R1 previously during this same shift and did not notice any issues with R1. Per S2 and S3, on July 15, 2024, around 5:30AM, they went to R1’s room, saw R1 in bed, were advised by S1 that R1 was not acting normal, but noted that R1 was comfortable, eating breakfast, and not complaining of pain. S2 also provided a conflicting statement that they saw R1 on the floor and placed R1 back in bed, but later rescinded this statement. S2 and S3 had also worked on July 14, 2024, changed and bathed R1, and did not notice any issues with R1 on that day. Two additional staff provided statements that they observed no issues with R1 on July 14, 2024, and staff interviews and facility records did not reveal any reported falls for R1 relating to this injury. Staff #4 (S4), the facility’s medication technician, stated they were advised of the situation with R1 on the morning of July 15, 2024, they checked on R1 and noted R1’s upper right thigh was swollen, and they called an ambulance and requested an assessment from Witness #1 (W1), a third-party nurse who was present at the time. Per W1, after being advised of the issue with R1, they assessed R1, observed swelling on R1’s thigh but no redness or bruising, and noted R1 did not complain about pain. R1’s UCI Medical Records reveal that on July 15, 2024, R1 was diagnosed with a “displaced comminuted fracture of shaft of right femur”, which is a fracture in the large upper leg bone where the bone is in at least three pieces which are no longer in alignment, R1 underwent “R femur ORIF” on July 16, 2024, which is a surgery to realign and connect the broken pieces of bone using a plate and screws, and R1 was recommended for hospice. One of R1’s treating physicians provided a statement indicating they could not definitively say what caused R1’s fracture, it is highly likely it was caused by a rotational injury, but due to R1’s age and poor quality of bone structure, it is possible the fracture may have been caused when R1 moved or their leg was moved by another person to change them. The information obtained regarding what caused R1’s fracture is conflicting and did not corroborate the allegation. |