F 0689
Level of Harm - Immediate
jeopardy to resident health or
safety
Residents Affected - Few
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to
prevent accidents.
**NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** Based on
interview, observation, and record review the facility failed to provide appropriate supervision to prevent an
elopement, which resulted in a missing resident, and failed to notify 911 in a timely manner of the missing
resident for 1 of 3 sampled elopement risk residents of 7 elopement risk residents in the facility (Resident
#1).
The deficient practice allowed Resident #1 to exit the facility undetected on [DATE] at 4:47AM and walk
approximately 2 miles with bare feet. Resident #1 was found by the police and was transported by
Emergency Services to a local hospital for evaluation.
There were 109 residents in the facility at the time of the survey.
The facility's Administrator was notified of Immediate Jeopardy on [DATE] at 4:54 PM.
The findings included:
The policy titled Missing Resident, implementation date of [DATE], under the heading Procedure, stated: 1.
All personnel are responsible for reporting a resident attempting to leave the premises or suspected
missing to the Charge Nurse or Director of Nursing as soon as practical. This includes any resident that did
not sign out on a pass and/or did not notify a staff member of his or her leaving.
Resident #1 was admitted to the facility on [DATE]. Resident #1's Quarterly Minimum Dataset (MDS)
assessment, dated [DATE], revealed Resident #1 had a Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) score of 7
out of 15, which indicates a severe cognitive impairment. The resident had the following pertinent
diagnoses: Metabolic Encephalopathy, Psychotic disorder with hallucinations due to known physiological
condition, Unsteadiness on Feet, Cognitive Communication Deficit, Unspecified Dementia, Unspecified
Severity, With Agitation, and Cortical Age-Related Cataract, Right Eye. These diagnoses contribute to the
resident's inability to make appropriate decisions regarding his own safety and wellbeing. The cataract
could have contributed to his vulnerability by decreasing his vision and depth perception, which could have
led to falls and poor judgement regarding dangers such as distance and speed of approaching traffic.
At approximately 4:30 AM on [DATE], Resident #1 left his room, exited the facility into a fenced patio area
with large shrubs lining the inside perimeter of the fence, through a door that was unlocked and unalarmed.
Video surveillance cameras caught the resident searching for a way to get out of the fenced space. The
resident was seen, by camera, going into the shrubs several times until he found
(continued on next page)
Any deficiency statement ending with an asterisk (*) denotes a deficiency which the institution may be excused from correcting providing it is determined that other
safeguards provide sufficient protection to the patients. (See instructions.) Except for nursing homes, the findings stated above are disclosable 90 days following the
date of survey whether or not a plan of correction is provided. For nursing homes, the above findings and plans of correction are disclosable 14 days following the date
these documents are made available to the facility. If deficiencies are cited, an approved plan of correction is requisite to continued program participation.
LABORATORY DIRECTOR'S OR PROVIDER/SUPPLIER
REPRESENTATIVE'S SIGNATURE
TITLE
(X6) DATE
FORM CMS-2567 (02/99)
Previous Versions Obsolete
Facility ID:
If continuation sheet
Page 1 of 3
Event ID:
105659
Printed: 05/28/2026
Form Approved OMB
No. 0938-0391
Department of Health & Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES
AND PLAN OF CORRECTION
(X1) PROVIDER/SUPPLIER/CLIA
IDENTIFICATION NUMBER:
(X2) MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION
105659
B. Wing
A. Building
(X3) DATE SURVEY
COMPLETED
06/02/2023
NAME OF PROVIDER OR SUPPLIER
STREET ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE
Lake Worth Rehabilitation Center
1201 12th Avenue South
Lake Worth, FL 33460
For information on the nursing home's plan to correct this deficiency, please contact the nursing home or the state survey agency.
(X4) ID PREFIX TAG
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES
(Each deficiency must be preceded by full regulatory or LSC identifying information)
F 0689
Level of Harm - Immediate
jeopardy to resident health or
safety
Residents Affected - Few
an opening that allowed him to climb the 4-foot fence. Once over the fence, the cameras recorded the
resident walking off the facility's property on the sidewalk heading west. The resident was bare foot at the
time of the incident. The video surveillance recording put the time that the resident left the premises at 4:47
AM. The resident walked approximately 2 miles heading west along a residential street with a speed limit of
25 mph. Approximately 1 large block prior to the street's terminus there is a railroad crossing with a pair of
tracks, one heading north and the second heading south. The street terminates at a curved north-south
road that parallels a park with a large lake. There is easy access to the park with a path that leads directly
to the lake. The resident proceeded south on the road until the road intersected with an east-west 4 lane
road, with a 45-mph speed limit, near the northbound entrance ramp to a major north-south highway, with a
speed limit of 70 mph, where he was found by the police at approximately 9:40 AM, according to the police
report. The resident was off facility property on his own for approximately 5 hours. On [DATE] the weather at
4:47 AM was partly cloudy with a temperature between 71- and 72-degrees Fahrenheit (F). At 9:40 AM, the
approximate time the resident was located by the police, the weather was scattered clouds with a
temperature between 81- and 82-degrees F. After being found by police, the resident was transported to a
local hospital for evaluation, and then returned to the facility. Upon his return to the facility, Resident #1 was
reassessed for his BIMS score and was found to have a reduction to a 3 out of 15. This indicated Resident
#1 was more severely cognitively impaired than his prior assessment had indicated on [DATE]. While out of
the facility, Resident #1 could have gotten lost, struck by a train or car and been severely injured or died,
walked to the lake fallen in and drowned, or because of his bare feet, he could have suffered an injury that
could have become severely infected leading to the loss of a limb.
On [DATE] at 2:33 PM, an interview was conducted with Resident #1 regarding the incident. Resident #1's
thought processes were disjointed. Resident #1 did remember going out of the building and out into the
patio area. He remembered, with prompting, climbing the fence. When asked about being barefoot Resident
#1 stated that he didn't have these, indicating his slippers. Resident #1 did not remember where he went
but indicated that he walked a long way.
On [DATE] at 2:55 PM, an interview was conducted with Staff A, a Registered Nurse (RN). Staff A stated
that she started her shift by reviewing her assignment and organizing her care. She stated that she
checked Resident #1's vital signs at around 1:15 AM. Staff A stated Resident #1 was watching TV at that
time. Staff A stated she saw Resident #1 between 4:00 AM and 4:30 AM. Staff A indicated her Certified
Nursing Assistant (CNA) notified her Resident #1 was missing after 6:00 AM. Staff A instructed the CNA to
look in the bathroom and when Resident #1 was not found she and the CNA did a room to room search for
the resident. Staff A stated it took about a half-hour to search the first floor then the nurse went to the
second floor where she and the second-floor staff searched for Resident #1. When Resident #1 was not
found they expanded the search to around the building and in the community. Staff A stated that another
nurse took her car and headed east, Staff A took her car and headed west. Staff A stated she took an
auxiliary staff member with her to search. Once Staff A returned from looking for the resident then she
called the Director of Nursing (DON) to report Resident #1 was missing. Staff A stated that no alarms went
off. Staff A stated that at the time of the event she did not think about calling the DON sooner than she did.
Staff A stated that the facility re-educated the staff on the different protocols to follow but the facility had not
yet conducted drills.
On [DATE] at 3:41 PM, a telephone interview was conducted with Staff B, Certified Nursing Assistant
(CNA). Staff B stated that at 1:00 AM on [DATE], she made rounds, and all residents were sleeping. Staff B
explained that at 3:00 AM she made rounds and noted all of the residents were sleeping. Staff B stated that
at 5:00 AM she
(continued on next page)
FORM CMS-2567 (02/99)
Previous Versions Obsolete
Event ID:
Facility ID:
105659
If continuation sheet
Page 2 of 3
Printed: 05/28/2026
Form Approved OMB
No. 0938-0391
Department of Health & Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES
AND PLAN OF CORRECTION
(X1) PROVIDER/SUPPLIER/CLIA
IDENTIFICATION NUMBER:
(X2) MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION
105659
B. Wing
A. Building
(X3) DATE SURVEY
COMPLETED
06/02/2023
NAME OF PROVIDER OR SUPPLIER
STREET ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE
Lake Worth Rehabilitation Center
1201 12th Avenue South
Lake Worth, FL 33460
For information on the nursing home's plan to correct this deficiency, please contact the nursing home or the state survey agency.
(X4) ID PREFIX TAG
SUMMARY STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES
(Each deficiency must be preceded by full regulatory or LSC identifying information)
F 0689
Level of Harm - Immediate
jeopardy to resident health or
safety
Residents Affected - Few
FORM CMS-2567 (02/99)
Previous Versions Obsolete
started her morning rounds which included changing the residents and assisting with morning care. Staff B
stated that at approximately 6:00 AM, Staff B went to do morning care for Resident #1, and he was missing.
Staff B stated she checked the bathroom and when she did not see Resident #1, she told the nurse. Staff B
stated that the nurse informed the other staff and then the nurse and Staff B started checking every room
for Resident #1.
On [DATE] at 11:00 AM, an interview was conducted with the Director of Nursing (DON) regarding the
elopement policy. The DON admitted that when she was notified of the elopement she panicked. The DON
explained that by the time the police were contacted regarding the missing resident, the police had already
found the resident and informed the DON that he was being transported to the hospital to make sure there
was no negative outcomes for the resident, especially since it was warm outside, between 81-82 F, and
Resident #1 was bare foot.
Event ID:
Facility ID:
105659
If continuation sheet
Page 3 of 3