Holly Heights Care: Filthy Shower Rooms with Feces - CO
The August inspection revealed three of four shower rooms at the facility were unsanitary and unusable for residents who needed to bathe. Empty shampoo bottles littered floors alongside piles of wet towels, while tubs contained unidentified black grime, hair, and trash.
The Summit Ridge unit shower room reeked of urine when inspectors arrived at 1:35 p.m. on August 18. Empty bottles and wet towels covered the floor. Inside the bathtub, inspectors found a bag of wet towels, two more empty bottles, and black grime mixed with hair coating the surfaces.
Fifteen minutes later, inspectors found similar conditions in the Highline Creek unit. Visibly dirty towels sat soaked on the floor. The tub held wet towels, empty bottles, and unidentified trash.
The Riverwalk unit shower room was completely inaccessible. Wheelchairs, walkers, and bedside commodes filled the space, blocking any path to the shower stall.
Nobody seemed to know who was responsible for cleaning.
Licensed practical nurse #2 said certified nurse aides were supposed to clean shower rooms after each use. But LPN #1 said aides only cleaned at the end of their shifts, with housekeepers handling weekly deep cleaning. CNA #3 agreed that aides cleaned after using the rooms, while housekeepers cleaned weekly.
The director of nursing revealed the facility wasn't even using the tubs, though he couldn't explain why. If a resident wanted to take a bath, he said, aides would first need to determine if a tub was working, then clean it.
"His expectation, regardless of if the tubs were working or not, was that the shower rooms were to be cleaned after every use and kept clean and disinfected for the residents by the CNAs," the inspection report stated.
The family member who discovered feces in the shower room told inspectors on August 19 that she had seen the unsanitary conditions before. During previous visits, she had found used towels on floors and empty shampoo bottles scattered around the bathing areas.
The violations affected residents across multiple units of the facility. Federal inspectors determined the facility failed to provide a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment for residents, staff, and the public.
The inspection was conducted in response to a complaint about conditions at the facility. Inspectors found that Holly Heights failed to ensure shower rooms and tubs were clean and free from debris, preventing residents from having a sanitary environment to bathe.
The facility's cleaning protocols appeared to exist on paper but broke down in practice. While multiple staff members could describe who was supposed to clean what and when, the physical evidence showed those responsibilities weren't being fulfilled.
For residents who depend on staff assistance for basic hygiene needs, the contaminated shower rooms represented a fundamental failure of care. The presence of feces, urine odors, and accumulated debris in spaces designed for bathing created health risks and violated basic dignity standards.
The director of nursing's admission that the facility wasn't using the tubs raised additional questions about available bathing options for residents who might prefer baths to showers, particularly those with mobility limitations or medical conditions that make standing difficult.
The family member's repeated observations of unsanitary conditions suggested the problems weren't isolated incidents but ongoing maintenance failures that affected the daily lives of residents and their loved ones.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to honor residents' rights to a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment. The contaminated shower rooms at Holly Heights represented a clear violation of those standards, leaving residents without access to basic sanitary facilities for personal care.
The inspection classified the violations as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm to some residents. However, the widespread nature of the problems across three separate shower areas indicated systemic failures in housekeeping and maintenance protocols.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Holly Heights Care and Rehabilitation from 2025-08-21 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: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
HOLLY HEIGHTS CARE AND REHABILITATION in DENVER, CO was cited for violations during a health inspection on August 21, 2025.
The August inspection revealed three of four shower rooms at the facility were unsanitary and unusable for residents who needed to bathe.
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.