Federal inspectors who visited the facility in November found the resident's complaint was accurate. The nursing home regularly served meals on disposable plates with plastic forks and knives when it didn't have enough kitchen staff to operate the dishwasher.
The Food Services Director confirmed that paper products were used to serve dinner on Wednesday, November 12, because the facility lacked sufficient staff to run the dish machine and complete other kitchen duties. The director told inspectors this practice occurs "any time there is not enough staff to wash the dishes and prepare meals."
Kitchen staffing problems extended far beyond a single evening. A review of the food service schedule from November 2 through 15 revealed chronic understaffing across nearly every shift.
On Sunday, November 2, two morning positions went unfilled. Monday brought three empty morning shifts. Tuesday had gaps in both morning and evening coverage. By Wednesday, November 5, three morning positions remained vacant again.
The pattern continued through the following week. Thursday, November 6 saw three unfilled morning shifts. Friday left one morning and one evening position open. Saturday, November 8 had the worst coverage, with three morning shifts and one evening shift unstaffed.
The second week showed no improvement. Sunday, November 9 had two morning vacancies. Monday and Tuesday each left two morning shifts unfilled, with Tuesday also missing two evening workers. Wednesday, November 12 — the day residents ate dinner off Styrofoam — had two morning and two evening positions empty.
Even as the inspection continued, the schedule showed ongoing problems. Thursday, November 13 had two morning shifts and one evening shift unfilled. Friday left one position open in both morning and evening. Saturday, November 15 started the next week with two vacant morning shifts.
The staffing crisis affected more than just dishwashing. Residents complained during October council meetings that items listed on meal tickets didn't match what actually appeared on their trays. The facility had also failed to distribute fall and winter menus despite announcing an October 1 launch date during September's resident meeting.
These operational failures represented more than inconvenience for residents like Resident 5, who found cutting food with plastic utensils on foam plates difficult and degrading. The chronic understaffing forced a nursing home to serve meals in a manner more appropriate for a picnic than a healthcare facility where residents pay for professional food service.
The inspection report noted this wasn't the first time Lock Haven Rehabilitation had been cited for insufficient dietary support personnel. The facility received a previous citation for the same violation on September 19, 2025, just two months before inspectors returned to find the same problems persisting.
The Food Services Director's admission that disposable service items were used whenever staffing fell short suggested this had become standard practice rather than an emergency measure. With vacant positions appearing on the schedule nearly every day during the two-week period inspectors reviewed, residents likely encountered plastic utensils and Styrofoam plates regularly.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to provide sufficient support personnel to safely and effectively carry out food and nutrition services. The regulation exists because proper food service requires adequate staffing to maintain sanitation standards, prepare nutritious meals, and serve them appropriately.
Lock Haven's approach of substituting disposable items for proper dishware when understaffed violated this requirement. The practice also demonstrated how staffing shortages in one area can cascade into resident care problems that directly impact daily life and dignity.
Resident 5's description of the experience as "awful" captured the human impact of what administrators might view as a practical solution to a staffing problem. For residents who depend on the facility for three meals a day, being served food on foam plates with plastic utensils represented a clear reduction in the quality of care they expected and deserved.
The administrator was informed of these concerns during the inspection, but the report provided no indication of immediate changes to address the chronic understaffing that created the problem.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Lock Haven Rehabilitation and Senior Living from 2025-11-19 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
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