The odors weren't coming from residents' rooms or soiled utility areas. They hung in the air throughout A, B and C halls, drifting into the dining room where residents took their meals.
Federal inspectors documented the persistent smell during a complaint investigation that spanned eight days in October. On October 6, they found intermittent foul urine odors throughout all three hallways between 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
The next day brought the same problem. At 11:15 a.m., inspectors detected the foul urine odor throughout A hall and into the adjacent dining room.
Licensed Practical Nurse #559 was working that morning. When inspectors asked about the smell, she confirmed A hall had a foul urine odor throughout the hallway and into the dining room. The urine odor, she told them, was common on most days.
By October 8, inspectors found the smell had moved to B hall. At 9:10 a.m. at the nurse station, they detected a foul urine odor in the hallway.
Six days later, the problem persisted. On October 14 at 2:25 p.m., inspectors again found intermittent foul urine odor throughout A hall and into the adjacent dining room.
Activities Assistant #550 was in the dining room that afternoon. She confirmed there was a foul urine odor in the dining room adjacent to A hall. Like the nurse before her, she said the odor was common on most days.
The smell wasn't just bothering staff.
Resident #37 told inspectors the facility often had a bothersome foul urine odor throughout the hallways. A representative for Resident #97 said the same thing — the facility often had a bothersome foul urine odor throughout the hallways.
Nobody could explain where the persistent odor was coming from. Inspectors ruled out the obvious sources: residents themselves, their rooms, and the soiled utility rooms where contaminated materials are typically stored.
The 70-bed facility had policies in place that should have prevented the problem. A Safe and Homelike Environment policy dated October 6 required staff to provide a clean and homelike environment with consideration given to minimize odors. The policy specifically instructed staff to report lingering odors and bathrooms needing cleaning to the Housekeeping Department.
Another policy on Routine Cleaning and Disinfection, dated October 7, required the facility to ensure routine disinfection to provide a sanitary environment.
Despite these written procedures, the odors continued day after day in areas where residents spent significant time — walking through hallways to reach activities, therapy sessions, and medical appointments, and eating meals in the dining room.
The violation affected 54 residents living on the three halls where inspectors documented the persistent urine smell. These residents had to navigate through malodorous hallways multiple times daily and eat their meals in a dining room where staff confirmed foul odors were a regular occurrence.
Federal inspectors cited Franciscan Care Center Sylvania for failing to honor residents' right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment. The citation represents the culmination of multiple complaints filed against the facility, numbered 1305372, 2582511, and 2625891, all investigated under Master Complaint Number 2630848.
The inspection report doesn't indicate when the odor problem began or what steps, if any, facility management took to identify and eliminate the source of the persistent urine smell that staff described as a daily occurrence.
For residents like #37 and the family member of Resident #97, the foul odors weren't just an inconvenience. They were a daily reminder that the place they called home wasn't meeting basic standards for cleanliness and comfort.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Franciscan Care Ctr Sylvania from 2025-11-13 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.