Queen of Peace Residence is a non-profit nursing home that has been given a five-star overall rating by the New York State Department of Health. The small, 53-bed facility is located at 110-30 221st St., Queens Village, NY 11429 and it has received five-star ratings for Resident Safety and Resident Status (the ratings for Preventive Care, Quality of Care, and Quality of Life were not available). The legal licensee/owner of the facility is a legal entity called HOME FOR THE AGED OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR.
Although highly rated by the New York State Department of Health, Queen of Peace Residence does not have an unblemished record. In the past three years, the state agency has received 10 complaints; it led to 1 on-site inspection and 1 citation. This means that, although a highly rated facility, Queen of Peace Residence is not incapable of making mistakes. In addition, the facility received a total of 6 standard health and life safety code citations. A summary of the two most recent certification surveys is summarized below.
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Certification/Complaint Survey dated 3/16/2018 at Queen of Peace Residence
The facility was cited for its failure to ensure that residents were free from neglect as one resident was left on the commode for approximately 1.5 hours and was not in reach of the call bell. The resident was a cognitively intact woman who was usually helped to the toilet, then the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) would then leave the resident and knock on the door when she thought the resident was done. The call bell was not placed in the resident’s hand while in the toilet. Moreover, for other residents, the facility’s policy was to stay outside the toilet door with the door cracked open slightly, so that CNAs can render aid immediately. For this particular resident, the CNA had left the resident, then realized her error when she brought the resident’s lunch to her room. She was immediately cleaned and lifted off the commode.
Since the incident, the facility stated that the staff were educated and trained to place the call bell in residents’ hands while they were on the commode.
The facility was also cited for failure to prevent infection as one Registered Nurse (RN) smeared medicated ointment on a resident’s pressure ulcer with the same glove with which she had held tubes away from the resident to access the area. Although the RN should have washed her hands and changed gloves after touching a potentially contaminated surface, she admitted that she failed to do so in this case.
With regard to life safety code deficiencies, the smoke barrier doors in two locations were noted to have a ¼ inch gap on the hinge side. This failed to render them smoke-free. In addition, the storage room located on the first floor had no sprinkler heads.
Certification Survey dated 10/28/2016 at Queen of Peace Residence
This survey only involved life safety code violations; namely that unapproved power strips, extension cords, and multi-tap outlet adapters were used in resident areas. Rather than extension cords, the facility should have used fixed hiring or obtained a waiver to use such power strips and extension cords. Queen of Peace Residence did neither, and was thereby issued a citation. A maintenance employee stated that the resident areas would be checked for extension cords and power taps and that they would be removed.
In addition, the kitchen ANSUL range hood system had not been inspected on a monthly basis. The Maintenance Director, when interviewed, stated he was not aware of the monthly inspection requirement but that it would be implemented immediately.
Conclusion
Queen of Peace Residence has received relatively few complaints and citations, and has been rated highly by the New York State Department of Health. Make no mistake, Queen of Peace Residence is a very good facility relative to other Queens nursing homes.
However, it does not have a perfect records as evidenced by the resident who was left on the commode for an excessively long amount of time, and the failure of a RN to implement correct infection control procedures. It is important that the family members of the resident monitor all nursing homes, both good and bad, and ensure their loved one is getting appropriate assistance, care and supervision.
Nursing home neglect is serious and in some cases has resulted in the death of residents from poor care. Together, we can expose elder abuse and neglect when we suspect it and attempt to stop the cycle of wrongdoing to vulnerable, elderly nursing home residents.
