"The curtains were torn and in need of replacement," the supervisor told inspectors on December 18 as they examined rooms A, B, and C at Stonebrook Post Acute.
Three out of four sampled rooms had privacy curtains that were worn and frayed along the bottom and side edges. In rooms A and B, the bottom hems showed loose threads hanging down with fabric linings and nettings exposed and detached near the lower edges. Room C's side hem appeared worn and frayed.
The housekeeping supervisor admitted there was no schedule for facility staff to routinely check and inspect the curtains. Instead, inspections were conducted on an "as-needed basis."
He told inspectors that checking the condition of privacy curtains was on his to-do list. He believed the facility had ordered new privacy curtains.
But when inspectors reviewed purchase orders with the administrator that same afternoon, no privacy curtains had been ordered. The facility's purchase order dated November 6 contained no curtain replacements.
Four days later, during a follow-up interview on December 22, the housekeeping supervisor revealed the scope of the problem. Twenty-eight out of 69 resident rooms required replacement of privacy curtains.
That means 40 percent of all resident rooms at Stonebrook Post Acute had privacy curtains in such poor condition they needed to be thrown out and replaced.
The facility's own policy, titled "Homelike Environment" and last revised in February 2021, states that residents are provided with a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment. Federal regulations require nursing homes to honor residents' right to such an environment, including receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Inspectors found the frayed curtains detracted from the homelike appearance of resident rooms and had the potential to negatively affect residents' quality of life.
The inspection occurred during a complaint investigation on December 22. Federal inspectors classified the violation as having minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting some residents.
Privacy curtains serve multiple functions in nursing home rooms. They provide visual privacy during personal care, medical examinations, and intimate moments. They also contribute to the overall appearance and comfort of what residents must call home, often for months or years.
When curtains are frayed, torn, and hanging in pieces, they signal institutional neglect rather than the homelike environment federal law requires. Residents and their families see these details daily. Visitors form impressions about the quality of care based partly on such environmental factors.
The housekeeping supervisor's admission that curtain inspections happened only "as-needed" suggests the facility lacked systematic maintenance procedures. Without regular checks, deteriorating conditions can persist for months before anyone addresses them.
His statement that checking curtains was "on his to-do list" indicates the problem had been recognized but not prioritized. Meanwhile, residents continued living with torn, frayed privacy barriers that federal inspectors found detracted from their homelike environment.
The disconnect between the supervisor's belief that curtains had been ordered and the administrator's records showing no such orders raises questions about internal communication and follow-through on maintenance issues.
By the time of the December 22 interview, the housekeeping supervisor had apparently conducted a more thorough assessment, determining that 28 rooms needed curtain replacements. This suggests the initial sampling of four rooms revealed only a fraction of the facility's curtain problems.
The violation demonstrates how seemingly minor maintenance issues can accumulate into regulatory violations affecting residents' quality of life. What begins as a few frayed edges can deteriorate into exposed netting, loose threads, and an overall institutional appearance that contradicts federal homelike environment standards.
For residents who may spend their final months or years at Stonebrook Post Acute, these environmental details matter. Privacy curtains frame some of their most vulnerable moments and contribute to whether their living space feels like a home or an institution.
The 28 rooms needing curtain replacement represent 28 spaces where residents deserved better than torn fabric and dangling threads surrounding their beds.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Stonebrook Post Acute from 2025-12-22 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.