Waters of Wabash: Food "Terrible" and Cold - IN

The relative of Resident 109 told inspectors during a May 18 interview that he had sent the resident's breakfast back three consecutive days because it arrived cold and looked terrible. Sometimes meals contained almost nothing. "One time, there was just a hot dog on the plate," he said.

He had escalated complaints to the administrator and written to the company's vice president. The food was "worse than terrible."

Resident 36 was more direct. "The food sucked and looked disgusting," she told inspectors. Meals either had no taste or contained too much spice. The previous evening's lentil soup had no flavor and didn't look good. "The plates looked like slop."

The complaints were constant, but nothing changed. The food was always cold.

Federal inspectors who visited the facility on May 22 documented food quality violations affecting 17 of 31 residents they interviewed. The problems ranged from consistently cold temperatures to unappetizing presentation to portions so small residents went hungry.

Resident 9 had been keeping detailed notes about meal problems. On May 9, her dinner arrived at 6:20 p.m., more than an hour after the scheduled 5:00 p.m. service time. Three days later, she received minestrone soup that filled only half the bowl and had to eat snacks to feel full.

On May 14, lunch included goulash and "a very hard roll, which she called a hockey puck." That evening brought cold French fries and carrot-raisin salad that was bad.

The next day's dinner consisted of one taco with lettuce, tomato, a little meat, and a cookie. "She felt it was very little food to receive," inspectors wrote.

Resident 25 described similar portion problems. Sometimes dinner was just a sandwich and fruit. When she received soup, the bowls were maybe half filled. One evening brought "a piece of pizza so small it fit in a bowl, and half of a dessert dish of fruit."

The food had gotten worse over the past month, she said.

Resident 50 told inspectors most food arrived cold. When the facility served lentil soup, he had his wife bring restaurant food instead.

Resident 108 said food quality "had really slipped and did not taste good at all." Temperature varied unpredictably. She often had family bring outside food.

When inspectors observed dinner service on May 19, they documented inconsistent portions. One resident received a full dish of pudding while another who requested pudding got a dish less than half full. Drinks contained very little ice.

A test tray revealed additional problems. The meat loaf was grayish with lots of ketchup on top, and the flavor was displeasing. Mashed potatoes and gravy lacked flavor. The cranberry juice was watered down.

Staff had told residents the menu's "meat loaf" was actually made with turkey.

Formal grievances filed by residents painted a consistent picture of inadequate meals. Resident 33 wrote that food was "lousy, lousy, lousy" and poorly cooked, with insufficient quantities.

Resident 40's grievance was succinct: the food "tasted like s**t."

Resident 17 described receiving "a bowl of crap for dinner" and eating two bags of cheese puffs and crushed pineapple instead. Another meal of egg salad sandwiches left him still hungry.

Multiple residents complained about the same April 29 dinner. The menu promised hamburgers on buns, but some residents received bologna sandwiches instead because there weren't enough hamburgers. The French fries weren't cooked through.

Resident 51 felt the poor food quality sent a message that "older people did not matter."

Resident 9's grievance detailed a chicken pot pie dinner where "the supper portion was very small. She only took three bites and that was all there was." She often received cornbread without butter and chili without seasoning.

Resident Council meeting minutes from April and May showed ongoing complaints about delayed dinner service, baked potatoes served without butter or sour cream, missing bread items, poor hamburger quality, and brown lettuce in salads.

The administrator told inspectors on May 20 that he was working with residents on food complaints and had developed a food committee to address concerns.

The Regional Director of Operations for the contracted dining services company acknowledged residents were dissatisfied with portion sizes and food temperatures. New dietary staff were being educated, and the company was customizing menus by facility.

He was removing lentil soup and turkey loaf from the menu based on complaints.

Anonymous interviews conducted during the inspection reinforced the documented problems. One person said the food "had been sucking" with inconsistent portion sizes. Another described food as "more often worse than good."

A third interviewee said she wouldn't eat the facility food and portions were small. Another had spoken directly to the administrator about food quality problems.

One person summarized the food as "subpar in temperatures, portion sizes, presentation, and taste."

The facility's own policy, revised in March, requires that "food will be prepared, held, and served in a manner that maintains its nutritive value and palatability."

Resident 49 had developed her own solution to the meal problems. She often returned to her room to eat snacks and food provided by her family because the facility's food was not good.

Full Inspection Report

The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Waters of Wabash Skilled Nursing Facility East The from 2025-05-22 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.

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