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32 | Allegation: Staff do not respond timely to the residents call alerts while in care
Complaint alleges that a resident used their pendant to call for assistance on several occasions in January 2022 and staff took over an hour to respond to each call. The specific resident's name was not provided.
Interviews with Med-Tech/caregiver staff indicated that staff works as a team, regardless of which hall they are assigned to, with one staff stating "the lights belong to all of us". Staff also indicated that pendant calls can be "random", many calls are for non-emergencies and pendant response times can vary, with mornings being the busiest, and they are not aware that it has ever taken staff an hour to respond. Staff stated that when a resident pendant button is pushed, it will send an alert to their pagers immediately and to the
front desk receptionist at the same time, who will assist by announcing on staff radios that a particular resident has asked for help. Staff confirmed there is not a receptionist at the desk on evenings and weekends to check for call lights with one staff stating if she sees that a call light is not being answered timely, she will announce it on the radio for other care staff to respond to.
One staff stated that the response times for March 2022 have been shorter due to an extra person or "floater" assisting caregivers. Staff indicated that on the morning and evening shifts, there are always 4-5 staff on shift and there are always at least 2 staff, 1 caregiver and 1 Med-Tech, during the overnight shift. Another staff confirmed that sometimes staff will forget to clear a pendant after the call has been answered which could reflect a longer response time in the system.
Residents interviewed stated it depends on how busy staff is and how many staff are working with another resident stating he has not had to wait more than 30 minutes and some calls are answered in as few as 5 minutes. All residents interviewed indicated they have never had to wait for an hour for assistance.
Documentation reviewed of pendant response times for period 1/1/2022- 1/14/2022 show an average response time of 10 minutes. Additional documentation reviewed is from 207 combined resident and resident representatives surveyed for period 10/1/2021- 1/27/2022, which reflects a 94% overall satisfaction rate with staff responsiveness to residents' needs ranking 95-98% percent.
Based on information obtained, LPA finds the allegation to be Unsubstantiated- Although the allegations may have happened or are valid, there is not a preponderance of evidence to prove the alleged violations did or did not occur.
Exit interview with Resident Care Coordinator. Copy of report provided. |