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Life Care Center of the Willows: Record Gaps - IN

Healthcare Facility
Life Care Center Of The Willows
Valparaiso, IN  ·  1/5 stars

The inspection, conducted September 29, 2025, focused on one resident whose care plan required maximum assistance with toileting hygiene. The resident was frequently incontinent of both bowel and bladder. A care plan dating to January 2024 had flagged the incontinence and spelled out what staff were supposed to do: assist with toileting, provide pericare as needed, and document what they did at least three times every shift, once for days, once for evenings, once for nights.

The documentation record for September told a different story.

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On the day shift alone, records showed no documentation of incontinence care on September 1, 4, 8, 10, 13, and 14. Evening shift gaps ran across September 10, 12, 16, 20, 21, 24, and 25. The night shift, the longest stretch of any given day, showed missing documentation on September 3, 4, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 23, and 27.

Twelve nights in a single month with no record that anyone checked, cleaned, or documented anything for a resident who could not manage their own toileting.

The facility's own policy, provided to inspectors the same afternoon and described by the Regional Nurse Consultant as current, laid out what the procedure was supposed to look like: perform hand hygiene, put on gloves and other personal protective equipment, clean the perineal area, remove protective equipment, perform hand hygiene again, and document the procedure. Each step was written down. Whether any of those steps happened on those 25 shifts was not.

The Regional Nurse Consultant confirmed during an interview at 2:45 that afternoon that CNAs were required to chart incontinence care at least three times daily on the CNA task records. She offered nothing beyond that.

The inspection was conducted in response to a complaint. Inspectors cited the deficiency under F0842, which concerns the accuracy and completeness of resident records. The level of harm was assessed as minimal harm or potential for actual harm, and the number of residents affected was listed as few.

What the documentation gap cannot answer is the question underneath it: whether the care happened and went unrecorded, or whether the care did not happen at all. A missing entry in a chart is not proof that a resident spent a night shift soiled and unattended. It is also not proof that they didn't. For a resident requiring maximum assistance, one who could not manage their own hygiene and was frequently incontinent of both bowel and bladder, the difference between those two possibilities is not a paperwork matter.

The facility is located at 1000 Elizabeth Drive in Valparaiso. The inspection was completed September 29, 2025.

Full Inspection Report

The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Life Care Center of the Willows from 2025-09-29 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.

Additional Resources


Editorial Standards

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 26, 2026  ·  Our methodology

Quick Answer

LIFE CARE CENTER OF THE WILLOWS in VALPARAISO, IN was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 29, 2025.

The inspection, conducted September 29, 2025, focused on one resident whose care plan required maximum assistance with toileting hygiene.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at LIFE CARE CENTER OF THE WILLOWS?
The inspection, conducted September 29, 2025, focused on one resident whose care plan required maximum assistance with toileting hygiene.
How serious are these violations?
Violation severity varies from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the inspection report for specific deficiency codes and scope. All violations must be corrected within required timeframes and are subject to follow-up verification inspections.
What should families do?
Families should: (1) Ask facility administration about specific corrective actions taken, (2) Request to see the follow-up inspection report verifying corrections, (3) Check if this represents a pattern by reviewing prior inspection reports, (4) Compare this facility's ratings with other nursing homes in VALPARAISO, IN, (5) Report any new concerns directly to state authorities.
Where can I see the full inspection report?
The complete inspection report is available on Medicare.gov's Care Compare website (www.medicare.gov/care-compare). You can also request a copy directly from LIFE CARE CENTER OF THE WILLOWS or from the state Department of Health. The report includes specific deficiency codes, facility responses, and correction timelines. This facility's federal provider number is 155158.
Has this facility had violations before?
To check LIFE CARE CENTER OF THE WILLOWS's history, visit Medicare.gov's Care Compare and review their inspection history, quality ratings, and staffing levels. Look for patterns of repeated violations, especially in critical areas like abuse prevention, medication management, infection control, and resident safety.


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