Ardent Senior Living’s Cristal Palace Resort Faces Allegations of Poor Resident Care
Palm Bay is home to Ardent Senior Living, an assisted living facility owned by Cristal Palace Resort PB, LLC. The facility is also called Cristal Palace Resort, and is a for-profit organization providing 252 bed and is located at 1881 Palm Bay Rd., Palm Bay, Florida 32905. Ardent Senior Living states that it “strive[s] to provide the utmost level of care to our residents.”
However, the lawsuit most recently filed against the facility and the violations citations issued against the facility by the Agency for Health Care Administration suggest that the residents at Ardent Senior Living may occasionally be experiencing negligent care.
Keriann Haagensen, as Next Friend of Mary Patricia Viney v. Cristal Palace Resort PB, LLC and Nuri Dorra
Allegations: According to the Complaint, Ms. Mary Patricia Viney was a resident at Ardent Senior Living / Cristal Palace Resort ALF when she suffered the development and deterioration of wounds that consequently became infected and led to sepsis. The Complaint alleges that this resulted in bodily harm and loss of dignity for Ms. Viney and was directly caused by the facility’s failure to supervise and train their staff, and failing to provide an appropriate level of care.
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Survey Results at Ardent Senior Living’s Cristal Palace Resort
In addition to the lawsuit summarized above, the facility has also been fined a total of $3,250. In 2016 alone, Ardent Senior Living was fined a total of eight (8) times. A summary of the three most recent citation violations is provided below and gives a glimpse into how the facility is currently being operated.
Complaint Statement of Deficiencies dated 6/19/2019 at Ardent’s Palm Bay Assisted Living Facility
Several deficiencies were found during this complaint-related inspection. First, one resident had been admitted without answering questions regarding how much assistance with toileting, transferring, information regarding medical history and special diet instructions. Nor was a health care provider contacted to obtain the omitted information.
In addition, although one resident had an unstageable pressure sore, which assisted living facilities are not permitted to treat. When the Administrator was questioned regarding this issue, she stated that the nurse who had noted that the sore was unstageable had been incorrect and had been terminated.
The facility was also cited for failing to ensure that residents had working locks on their room doors as one resident’s door would not completely close. The resident stated that since she had moved in a month prior, that the lock was not operable and that she places a curtain rod against the door so that she will hear if anyone enters her room at night.
Moreover, medication procedures were not followed as one staff member was observed handing a cup of medication to the resident. The staff member did not show the resident the packaging the medication came from nor read the label to the resident. The same resident was also missing entries in her Medical Observation Record. The assistant to the director stated that this meant the medication had run out. Although a refill request was sent to the pharmacy, no follow up had been conducted.
For another resident a review of her Medication Observation Record showed that she had not been observed to be taking her medication on several dates. No explanation was provided for the blank entries.
Finally, the ceiling above the first floor activity room and ballroom had caved in, and lighting fixtures were hanging by wires. Pieces of the broken ceiling were scattered all over the floor and there were buckets to catch leaking water. The maintenance director stated that they had used an unlicensed contractor who had use the incorrect material to fix the roof.
Complaint Statement of Deficiencies dated 3/27/2019 at Ardent Senior Living’s Cristal Palace Resort
During this inspection, AHCA found that two out of three sampled staff members had not received in-service training prior to interacting with residents.
In addition, AHCA followed up on unsatisfactory County Health Department Inspection Reports issued against Ardent Senior Living. The violations included no person in charge of day food services, pest droppings near the laundry room, dirty rooms which smelled of cat urine and mold, evidence of a roach infestation in all of the rooms inspected and dirty bed sheets in the rooms. AHCA found that as a result, the facility had not maintained a satisfactory health inspection report.
Finally, Ardent Senior Living had not tested its emergency generator to ensure that it was effective. Another generator on the east side of the building could not be started because there was no battery to start the motor and there was no transfer switch.
Complaint Statement of Deficiencies dated 12/5/2018 at Ardent Senior Living Palm Bay
This inspection was a revisit due to prior violations. Unsurprisingly, AHCA also found that there was no evidence of resolutions for grievances and failed to provide a safe living environment. More specifically, several residents were upset that a good cook had stated that she would be leaving and asked the facility if the owner could chip in to keep the cook. In addition, since the facility was expecting new residents, several residents wanted to know if the additional income would be enough to keep that particular staff member. Multiple residents signed a form submitted by one resident regarding this issue but no resolution was noted.
Residents stated that the washer had been broken for months and had not been fixed. One resident state that she was doing her laundry in her sink When the residents were asked if they had submitted a grievance form, they stated that they were told the facility had run out.
Furthermore, a resident was observed smoking in her room. Although she was fined and told she would be given a 45 day notice if she continued, no notice had been submitted.
Finally, the administrator failed to document a verbal complaint made by a resident that $600 was missing from his room.
Conclusion
It is evident that there have been some problems at Ardent Senior Living Palm Bay / Cristal Palace Resort. The facility’s roof caved in, there has been a consistent lack of training, cleanliness, or maintenance of the facilities, and resident needs were not always met. We understand, however, that no facility is perfect. In fact, it is common that facilities like this one receive citations, so this is not a blanket condemnation of Ardent Senior Living.
However, it is illustrative that even at a good facility like this, an elderly resident can suffer from abuse or neglect. If you suspect this is the case for yourself or a loved one, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of the Florida assisted living facility attorneys at Senior Justice Law Firm. We strive to protect your rights in both nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Florida.
