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Teresian House Nursing Home received 47 citations for violations of public health code between 2018 and 2022, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on May 25, 2022. The Albany nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of seven inspections by state surveyors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not take adequate steps to prevent residents from eloping. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure residents are provided an environment “as free of accident hazards as is possible” and in which they have “adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents.” A December 2021 citation found that Teresian House Nursing Home failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes the facility’s failure to supervise a resident “who was severely cognitively impaired.” According to the citation, this resident “was able to exit the building through a coded/locked door off the unit and 2 sets of alarmed doors exiting the facility for over two hours.” Both of these alarmed doors “were disabled by facility staff,” the citation states, who “did not discover the resident missing” for almost an hour. The citation describes this deficiency as posing “Immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety.”
2. The nursing home did not adequately ensure residents’ drug regimens were free from unnecessary psychotropic medications. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must keep residents’ drug regimens free from the unnecessary use of any drugs that affect “brain activities associated with mental processes and behavior.” A December 2021 citation found that Teresian House Nursing Home failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility “did not ensure as needed (PRN) orders” for an unspecified condition “were limited to 14 days, unless the attending physician or prescribing practitioner believed it was appropriate for the PRN order to be extended beyond 14 days.” This failure specifically applied to one resident, the citation states, for whom the resident did not ensure an anti-depressant medication “was not ordered for more than 14 days without a documented rationale from the attending physician or prescribing practitioner.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the discontinuation of the resident’s medication regimen.
3. The nursing home did not employ adequate food safety standards. Section 483.60 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must “Store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety.” A December 2021 citation found that Teresian House Nursing Home failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility’s “automatic dishwashing machine chemical sanitizing final rinse was too concentrated, and the unit kitchens required cleaning.” It goes on to describe “cabinetry, floors, and windowsills on the unit kitchens” that were observed “soiled with food particles or grime.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the cleaning of relevant areas in the kitchen, and the correction of the dishwashing machine’s chlorine concentration.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC work diligently to protect the rights of nursing home residents. Please contact us to discuss in the event you have a potential case involving neglect or abuse.
