It is alleged that the front door is locked at random times and no one can get in or out without a buzzer. It is also alleged that sometimes the wait is over ten minutes during the day, making it hard to deliver and creating a fire hazard.

Interviews with (5) out of (5) staff revealed that the front door is not locked at random times and it is not a fire hazard. Staff indicated that although the facility is a “closed facility” due to being full Memory Care, there are protocols in place for people to come in and out of the facility during normal business hours and evening shifts to ensure the safety of residents in care. Staff further stated that all residents living in the facility are not restricted from entering and exciting the facility; however, could only leave the premises with a chaperon after being signed-out at the front desk as part of the safety measures the facility has in place. Interviews with Staff 1 – Staff 3 (S1-S3) revealed that the front desk always has staff monitoring the door Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to “buzz” people in and out of the facility when the “doorbell” in the front door is triggered. Visitors coming in and out of the facility after business hours must follow the same protocol of using the front “doorbell” to alert staff. Nurses working the PM shifts have portable phones which are alerted when visitors trigger the “doorbell” by the front door to gain access into the building. Staff stated that service providers who may come to the facility after hours can call the facility’s main phone line if they need access to facility. Staff indicated that the front door is locked from the outside, but not from the inside because the door is equipped with a delay egress system which triggers an alarm after 30 seconds after the door is opened to alert staff of a possible elopement. Staff indicated that their food and medical equipment vendors do not deliver after hours because they have a set schedule that they follow for deliveries to be made during regular business hours. Shipping retailers leave packages outside of the main entranceway and do not request access to the inside of the building when delivering packages. Staff indicated that although there have been times in which visitors have waited several minutes to be provided with access into the facility by staff, wait times do not exceed ten minutes. Staff further indicated that they have not received any reports regarding people not being able to get in or out of the facility or having to wait for more than ten minutes to be granted access inside. LPA inspected the front door and observed the delay egress system to be working properly. The “buzzer” in the front desk was also tested and found it to be operational.

Interviews and observations could not corroborate the allegation that staff are not ensuring that residents are able to exit and enter the facility. Although the allegation may have happened or is valid, there is no preponderance of evidence to prove the alleged violation did or did not occur, therefore the allegation is unsubstantiated. An exit interview was conducted with Rochelle Carpio, Administrator, and a copy of this report was provided.