SPRINGDALE — A Springdale assisted living facility has agreed to conduct all the required room checks after a resident committed suicide on April 23, according to documents from the state’s Office of Long Term Care.
Morningside of Springdale, the assisted living facility, is at 672 Jones Road.
A Morningside spokesman said there would be no comment on the matter when contacted by telephone Monday. The Long Term Care office is the branch of the state Department of Human Services that inspects and licenses nursing homes and similar facilities.
Human Services won’t fine or take further action against Morningside if it follows through on promises to conduct checks and track the activities of residents more closely, a spokeswoman for the agency said Tuesday. The department will monitor the situation to make sure, the spokeswoman said in a statement.
The resident involved had protested for about two months before his death about room checks, which are required by state regulations every two hours. The resident’s objections grew to the point he yelled at staff members for checking on him. Staff reduced the frequency of the checks to accommodate the resident, although the resident had a history of considering suicide in the past, the Long Term Care investigation found.
After the frequency of his room checks declined, the resident fashioned a rope around his neck while attaching the other end to the base of his recliner. He then raised the back of the recliner, tightening the rope.
Morningside correctly reported the incident to state and local authorities the morning of the suicide, the Long Term Care investigation found. The investigation also found the Morningside facility’s administrator had not been notified that room checks were not being done with that patient at the regular frequency, according to the report.
All other residents were checked regularly, the report said.
The Morningside administrator will either personally review weekly reports on all residents or designate someone who will, according to the plan of corrective action filed with Long Term Care on June 10. The staff were told to notify the administrator of changes of resident status, especially refusals on regular checks.
The administrative review of weekly reports must take place every week for the next six weeks, the plan says.