Almarch Family Care

The facility failed to ensure that one of three sampled staff members passed the required written medication aide exam within 60 days of hire and completed clinical skills validation prior to administering medications. This finding represents a failure to abate a previous Type B violation.

The facility failed to ensure that exit doors accessible to residents had working alarms with sufficient volume to be heard by staff. Specifically, an alarm attached to a back exit door failed to make an audible sound when opened, despite the facility's policy requiring operational alarms to prevent elopement.

The facility failed to ensure that two accessible exit doors had working alarms with sufficient volume to be heard by staff. One door, which had a history of residents walking away from the facility, had an alarm that did not make an audible sound when opened. This failure occurred despite a policy requiring operational alarms to prevent elopement.

The facility failed to ensure that two exit doors accessible to residents were equipped with working alarms of sufficient volume to be heard by staff. Specifically, an alarm attached to a back door used by a resident with a history of wandering did not make an audible sound when opened.

The facility failed to maintain fire safety equipment in a safe and operating condition, specifically regarding four smoke detectors that did not have operable batteries. Observations and resident interviews revealed that several detectors were beeping in resident rooms and common areas, with some residents reporting the noise had persisted for weeks.

The facility failed to ensure that a staff member was competency validated for Licensed Health Professional Support (LHPS) tasks via return demonstration. Specifically, there was no documentation of a checklist being completed for the staff member to perform wound dressing changes for a resident with cellulitis.

The facility failed to ensure that a medication aide had completed the required medication skills validation and employment verification prior to administering medications independently. Specifically, the staff member was documented administering medications in December 2022 and January 2023, but their training and skills validation were not completed until January 12, 2023.

The facility failed to provide an adequate supply of soap, hand towels, toilet paper, and bed sheets for resident use. Observations and interviews revealed that residents were limited to one roll of toilet paper per week and that some beds lacked sheets entirely. Additionally, no soap was available in the bathroom for hand washing.