Resident 34 at Altercare Newark South had requested the shower for Friday morning, November 14th, before her scheduled medical procedure. She never got one.
The 78-year-old woman lives with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, repeated falls, muscle weakness, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and major depressive disorder. Her care plan requires staff supervision or assistance with showering, dressing, and personal hygiene.
She had filled out a shower request sheet on November 12th asking for Friday morning care before her appointment. No documentation shows she received any shower on November 14th.
"I asked for a shower before my appointment and the staff refused to give me a shower," the resident told inspectors on November 20th.
The Director of Nursing was direct about what happened during her November 24th interview: "I'm not going to lie. There is no documentation that Resident 34 received a shower before her procedure."
Certified Nursing Assistant 370 explained that residents normally receive scheduled showers twice weekly unless they have an appointment or request extra hygiene care. The expectation, she said, was to provide showers before appointments or when residents asked for additional bathing.
The facility's own shower policy, updated in May 2025, states it promotes resident hygiene by "offering and assisting residents with bathing per their plan of care."
Resident 34 was admitted to Altercare Newark South on November 14th, 2024 — exactly one year before her colonoscopy appointment. Along with her multiple chronic conditions, she struggles with altered mental status, gait abnormalities, unsteadiness on her feet, anxiety disorder, and requires personal assistance with basic care tasks.
The inspection occurred following a complaint filed under number OH002673953. Federal investigators found the facility failed to ensure timely assistance with activities of daily living, affecting one of seven residents they reviewed.
Altercare Newark South operates 43 beds in Newark, Ohio. The facility violated federal requirements that nursing homes help residents maintain their ability to perform daily activities unless medical reasons prevent it.
The shower denial represents what inspectors classified as minimal harm or potential for actual harm to the resident. But for someone preparing for a medical procedure requiring bowel preparation and intimate examination, basic hygiene becomes more than routine care.
The woman's medical conditions make independent bathing difficult or impossible. Her rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness, and unsteadiness on her feet mean she depends on staff assistance for safe showering. Her anxiety and depression likely made the refusal more distressing as she prepared for an already stressful medical procedure.
No documentation exists showing any alternative hygiene care provided on November 14th. No progress notes indicate staff offered bed baths, partial washing, or other personal care before her colonoscopy.
The facility had clear systems in place for extra showers. Residents could request additional bathing beyond their twice-weekly schedule. Staff understood the expectation to provide pre-appointment hygiene care. The shower request form was properly completed two days in advance.
But when November 14th arrived, Resident 34 went to her colonoscopy appointment without the shower she had requested and needed.
The violation occurred despite facility policy explicitly requiring staff to offer and assist with bathing according to each resident's care plan. Resident 34's plan specifically identified her need for shower supervision and assistance.
Federal inspectors completed their investigation on November 24th, ten days after the denied shower request. The facility must now submit a plan of correction addressing how it will ensure residents receive timely assistance with daily living activities.
For Resident 34, the missed shower meant facing a medical procedure without the basic dignity of being clean. Her multiple health conditions already make daily life challenging. The facility's refusal to honor her reasonable request for pre-appointment hygiene care added unnecessary stress to what was likely already an anxiety-provoking day.
The colonoscopy appointment went forward as scheduled. Whether Resident 34 received proper preparation for the procedure beyond the denied shower remains undocumented in the inspection report.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Altercare Newark South Inc. from 2025-11-24 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.