New Aldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls has been cited for the death of a resident who suffocated to death when she became pinned between her bed and a wall, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. A nurse found the resident shortly after 9:00 a.m. on June 16th wedged between her mattress and the wall, which was about 10 inches away. The woman’s neck was pressed against the bed rail and her head and neck were twisted upward toward the ceiling. The woman’s face had deep dark bruising caused by broken blood vessels. She was pronounced dead due to asphyxiation. Inspectors found that none of the residents had their bed rail risk assessment reviewed since August of last year. The inspectors determined this put the residents in immediate jeopardy of serious injury or death. New Aldaya was fined $10,000 but that fine was suspended. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are yet to rule on the matter. New Aldaya was also cited for failing to bathe their residents twice a week and failing to meet the needs of incontinent residents, including one man who was forced to sit in his own feces for 90 minutes when staff failed to respond to his calls for help. In fact, staff did not respond until the resident called his daughter who then called the staff and implored them to tend to her father.
