The resident's representative told federal inspectors they wanted their family member to stay at the facility while receiving hospice care instead of taking them home. But Social Services Director repeatedly insisted the facility couldn't provide hospice services.
"The family voiced concerns about taking the resident home because the spouse had dementia," according to inspection records from the family's grievance filed in June.
The facility forced the discharge anyway.
Records show the family appealed the discharge twice and tried finding another nursing home. Other facilities denied admission because of the resident's wound care needs. Feeling pressured by Tuckerman staff, the family finally removed their loved one.
The Social Services Director tried issuing a Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage with a discharge date of June 19, but the family refused to sign it. In a progress note dated June 18, she wrote that she "explained again that resident can not be on Hospice at [facility name]."
That was false.
Federal inspectors discovered Tuckerman had an active contract with a hospice provider "to come to the facility and provide hospice for their residents." The Director of Nursing confirmed during interviews that "the facility was able to provide care for a resident in need of hospice services, but they preferred to discharge them."
The nursing home administrator admitted residents were discharged because they needed hospice care. He said they would "provide it for a few days until they can discharge the resident to an inpatient hospice or hospice at home."
But the facility marketed itself differently. The administrator confirmed Tuckerman was "a dually certified facility, meaning they accepted residents for rehabilitation and long-term care."
Staff told the family during grievance resolution to appeal the Medicare non-coverage notice. This guidance was misleading. Medicare covers hospice care in nursing facilities, though families may need to pay room and board costs.
The Social Services Director told inspectors she informed the family "that the resident could not stay at the facility for hospice care." She said an interdisciplinary team meeting determined the resident "wasn't participating in rehab and needed to be discharged with hospice care."
The Director of Nursing described the resident as "rapidly declining and failed to participate in rehab and needed hospice care." She confirmed they "discharge residents when they needed hospice care and/or long-term care."
The facility's own policies contradicted staff statements to the family. Records showed Tuckerman provided "short-term rehab services" but had capabilities and contracts for long-term care and hospice services.
The family's representative made clear to the Director of Nursing "that they did not want the resident discharged." They specifically cited concerns about the spouse's dementia making home care impossible.
Despite these concerns, staff continued pushing for discharge rather than honoring the family's wishes and providing contracted hospice services at the facility.
The resident was ultimately removed from Tuckerman and taken home, where the family struggled with care responsibilities they had tried to avoid by keeping their loved one in the facility.
Federal inspectors cited the facility for failing "to honor the wishes of the resident representative and allow the resident to stay at the facility while receiving hospice services." The violation was classified as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm.
The case revealed a pattern of misleading families about hospice options while maintaining contracts that would allow such care. Staff preferences for discharging dying residents overrode both family wishes and the facility's stated capabilities.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Tuckerman Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center from 2025-11-05 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
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