Fair Havens Senior Living: Washcloth Left in Brief - IL
It was the second time in twelve days.
The first incident at Fair Havens Senior Living happened on July 12, 2025. A CNA providing care to the resident, identified in inspection records as R2, removed his brief and found a washcloth inside it. The nurse on duty that afternoon, identified as V8, was told about it. R2 was very mad and upset, V8 told inspectors, and refused to let staff assess the area. He wanted to be left alone.
Twelve days passed.
On July 24, R2 returned from dialysis and asked for help getting cleaned up. He told staff he could smell his own body. A CNA identified as V11 transferred him to his bed using a total mechanical body lift, rolled him onto his side, and removed the brief. There, in the skin fold between his buttocks, was a wet washcloth.
V11 told inspectors that R2 was very upset, both at the smell and at finding another washcloth left inside his brief. Once his care was finished, he again asked to be left alone.
The inspection, a complaint survey completed August 13, 2025, tagged the violation under F0557, which covers the right of residents to be treated with dignity. CMS rated the harm level as minimal or potential for actual harm, affecting few residents.
That rating captures something real and something incomplete at the same time. A wet washcloth left against skin, particularly in a skin fold on a man who requires dialysis and a mechanical lift to move, carries risks that extend beyond embarrassment. Moisture held against skin causes breakdown. For a dialysis patient, whose circulation and healing are already compromised, that breakdown can become serious quickly. The inspection record does not document whether R2's skin was assessed after the July 12 incident, in part because he refused. It does not say whether anyone went back to try again, or whether the July 24 discovery prompted a formal skin check.
What the record does show is that Fair Havens had language in its own employee handbook describing exactly what the situation required. Revised and on file at the facility, the handbook states on page three: "We count on you, our employees, to focus on the provision of quality care and excellent services for our residents and to do so with a high level of dignity, compassion, and responsiveness to their physical, medical, and emotional needs. Our residents deserve nothing less than your best each and every day."
R2 got a washcloth in his brief on July 12. He got another one on July 24. Both times, the discovery ended the same way: a man who cannot reposition himself, who relies on a mechanical lift to get from wheelchair to bed, who goes three times a week to have a machine do what his kidneys no longer can, asked the people responsible for his care to please just leave him alone.
The inspection record does not say whether any staff member was disciplined. It does not say whether the facility identified who left the washcloth either time, or whether the two incidents involved the same person. It does not say whether R2 was ever told what steps the facility took in response.
What it says is that he was upset. Both times. And that both times, that was where the documentation stopped.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Fair Havens Senior Living from 2025-08-13 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: July 4, 2026 · Our methodology
FAIR HAVENS SENIOR LIVING in DECATUR, IL was cited for violations during a health inspection on August 13, 2025.
It was the second time in twelve days.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.