Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing in Long Beach, New York was fined for several deficiencies after surveys taken in January and July of last year. Among the numerous violations found during the survey were:
- CFR 483.7(h)(3) Corridors have firmly secured handrails. The study found that not only did the facility lack the requisite number of handrails, but also not all handrails were securely fastened in place. Due to a propensity for falls by residents of nursing homes, and for increased damage to an elderly resident who suffers a fall, securely fastened handrails are an absolute necessity in elder care facilities. A fall can lead to injuries such as bruising and bone fractures. Additionally, the long term reduced mobility resulting from a fall can lead to advanced medical issues, such as bedsores (pressure sores / decubitis ulcers) for an elderly resident. The effects, both direct and indirect, of a fall can be deadly for an elderly nursing home resident. All precautions must be taken to ensure that avoidable falls are, in fact, avoided.
- CFR 483.65 Facility Establishes Infection Control Program. An infection in an elderly patient can have dire consequences. As such, all necessary precautions must be taken by resident facilities to avoid preventable infections. Instances such as failure to wash hands before administering medicine, failure to replace a visibly soiled cervical collar, and failure to employ sanitary methods of taking blood (all noted in the deficiency report) can each lead to an infection. Simple precautions like these, which an individual would almost certainly take if administering medicine or taking blood from him or herself, were not taken on several occassions during the period of time monitored by the survey.
As mentioned above, there were numerous additional violations found in the DOH survey. These can be found in the link to the site below. According to the Long-Term-Care Community Coalition, Grandell was fined $34,000 as a result of the deficiencies noted in the surveys.
Website Resource: New York State Department of Health
