A Brius home in the heart of Silicon Valley has been cited by state regulators for serving expired food and failing to properly care for one resident who suffered a severe pressure sore and another whose frequent falls resulted in a broken collar bone.
The California Department of Public Health’s annual inspection of the Cupertino Healthcare and Wellness Center earlier this year resulted in two Class B citations.
One citation concerns the care provided to a man admitted last September who suffered from dementia. Investigators found the facility failed to update a tool used to predict his risk of developing pressure ulcers. The patient ultimately developed an ulcer that measured roughly 5 centimeters in diameter and leaked a yellowish discharge on his bed linens.
The other citation involved a resident who suffered from dementia and frequent seizures. Despite knowing that she was a fall risk, the home’s administrators failed to provide her adequate assistance, which contributed to several falls including one that resulted in a broken collarbone.
The director of nursing acknowledged to investigators that the facility should have done more to prevent falls and provided therapy for the resident. The administrator also acknowledged that the resident could not reach her call light to request help and that there was no floor mat in her room to soften the impact of a fall from her bed.
Investigators also found that the home’s refrigerator was stocked with expired food.
These items included:
- Cooked chicken
- A desert tray
- Pork sausage
- A pitcher of apple juice
- A pudding bowl
- A tray of gelatin
Furthermore, most food items in the freezer and pantry did not have expiration dates, which an administrator acknowledged violated the facility’s rules. Cupertino is not the first Brius home to have been found serving expired food. An inspection of the San Rafael Healthcare and Wellness Center two years ago turned up expired food in the kitchen pantry including “thickened apple juice.”
Not surprisingly, residents complained about the food quality in Cupertino.
One resident said the food “tasted bad and was always served cold,” investigators wrote. Another resident said the food was so bad she had to ask a relative to bring in food.