In a March 19, 2012 certification survey, the Department of Health found that Nyack Manor, a Valley Cottage nursing home, was deficient in no less than twenty areas monitored by the survey. Among the areas cited by the DOH were:
- Failure to develop comprehensive care plans;
- Failure to establish an infection control program;
- Failure to keep drug regimen free of unnecessary drugs;
- Failure to keep the facility free of accident hazards;
- Failure not to employ persons guilty of abuse.
Law mandates that a resident’s drug regimen must be free of unnecessary drugs. The instance described in the DOH report for Nyack Manor details a resident who was not monitored for the effects of the use of a new type of medication. The purpose of this monitoring would be to determine the drug’s effects on the patient. This was necessary because the resident had a history of alcohol abuse, and the drug in question is know to potentially effect liver function. There was no documentation that the facility had performed this necessary monitoring.
A facility must also remain as free of accident hazards as is possible. As this blog has discussed before, and common sense dictates, falls and the resulting injuries can be disastrous for elderly nursing home residents. Per the DOH report, Nyack Manor did not ensure that a resident with a fall history was given a room free of accident hazards. Specifically, bed rails in place and a mat next to the resident’s bed were viewed as potential accident hazards. Although no accident occurred in this instance, the hazards that went uncared for by the facility posed the threat of more than minimal harm to the resident.
The full report by the Department of Health, documenting all violations noted during this inspection cycle, can be accessed here.
