Discovery Village at Melbourne Assisted Living Facility Citations, Deficiencies and Surveys for Poor Resident Care
Owned by HCP DSL Melbourne FL OPCO LLC since June 2019, Discovery Village at Melbourne is an assisted living facility that advertises a variety of wellness programs for residents, including assisted living and memory care. Discovery Village at Melbourne, located at 3260 N. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne, Florida 32935, enjoys high online ratings but has been cited a number of times by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration due to its failure to comply with state and federal regulations.
An examination of these deficiency citations shows that in the short time that Discovery Village at Melbourne has been under new ownership, the facility has struggled to comply with federal and state regulations. The reports also show how the assisted living facility is operated and how resident care is provided. A summary of the two deficiency reports issued since HCP DSL Melbourne FL OPCO LLC took over the Melbourne assisted living facility in June 2019, is provided below.
Standard Statement of Deficiencies dated 9/23/2019 at Discovery Village ALF at Melbourne
This report was thirty-four pages long and recounted a number of deficiencies at the Discovery Village at Melbourne.
The surveyor found that one staff member lacked documentation confirming that she had received the minimum one-hour of in-service training in food handling practices within 30 days of employment. In addition, the Director of Culinary stated that she had worked at the facility for four years and, upon request, provided certificates regarding food service. However, those certificates did not add up to 2 hours of training, and had not been provided by a certified food manager, licensed dietician, registered dietary technician or health department sanitarian. The Director of Culinary stated that she had not received the 2 hours’ worth of continued training every year.
In addition, a sample of 10 residents were interviewed regarding whether they had received any notice of the Change of Ownership that had occurred. All of them stated they were not aware of the change nor had they received any documents related to that change.
With regard to resident care, the surveyor also noted that one sampled resident who was to receive Limited Nursing Services was missing nursing progress notes on several dates. No explanation was provided for why the progress notes were missing for those days.
Assisted living facilities cannot admit individuals or allow residents to stay in their care without an assessment regarding whether it is appropriate that that individual be admitted into the facility. A resident’s Form 1823 Health Assessment stated that the resident needed assistance with bathing and supervision with ambulation, but was independent with eating, transferring, grooming, and toileting. On section D of Form 1823, where it asked whether the resident’s needs could be met at an assisted living facility, the answer provided was “no.” However, the resident had been admitted.
Moreover, during the inspection, the surveyor and the memory care director entered into a resident’s room and saw that a caregiver was on the resident’s left side, attempting to help him up by placing both of her arms under his left arm. His wife was standing behind the caregiver telling her that she could not lift the resident that way because he had suffered a fall and injured his left side. The wife then stated that she did not think the staff were communicating with each other as the resident had fallen but no one seemed to be aware of his fall. The caregiver stated that the staff communicate via a book that records statuses of residents and nothing had been mentioned regarding a fall. A review of the book showed that the staff were not effectively communicating through the book.
The facility also did not follow its own grievance procedure, which indicated that grievances and complaints voiced at the residents’ monthly meeting would be addressed and interventions documented. However, complaints regarding the menu, lack of dining options, the kitchen running out of glasses and silverware had not been addressed by the facility.
Finally, two employees lacked any documentation confirming that they were free from communicable diseases.
Standard Statement of Deficiencies dated 8/15/2019 at Discovery Village Senior Living Melbourne
Four residents at Discovery Village at Melbourne who were residing in the memory care unit were identified as at high-risk of elopement. However, according to an interview with a staff member who worked at the memory unit, the residents who were at high risk of elopement did not have any identification that provided their name, the name of the facility, and contact information in case the resident eloped.
Neglect or Abuse Case at Discovery Village at Melbourne?
Although ownership has changed for Discovery Village at Melbourne, the facility has struggled with some recent state surveys. Staff were not properly trained or lacked continued, annual training as required, there was a lack of communication between staff members which could have caused injury to a resident, and residents at high risk of elopement lack identification that would enable third parties to return them to the ALF should they elope. Additionally, resident grievances were not properly addressed.
If you suspect abuse, neglect or negligence at Discovery Village at Melbourne, or any other assisted living facility, our Florida assisted living neglect attorneys can help. Neglect or abuse at an assisted living facility must be addressed immediately; otherwise, residents may suffer from life-altering injuries, harm, or even death. Contact our law firm today to receive a free case consultation: 1-888-375-9998