El Dorado Care: Resident Without Hearing Aid - KS
Resident 43 smiled when staff finally placed the hearing aid in her right ear during a federal inspection in April. She hadn't worn it since the previous year.
The 83-year-old woman suffers from dementia and the effects of a stroke that damaged her brain. Medical records show she also has a malformation of her ear that causes hearing impairment. Her cognitive abilities are severely impaired, and she relies entirely on staff to meet her needs.
Her care plan specifically required staff to provide her hearing aid for the right ear during the day and remove it at night. The device was supposed to be left charging at the nurses' station overnight. Physician orders from 2023 authorized specialists, including audiologists, to provide care as needed.
But when inspectors arrived on April 6, 2026, they found the resident sitting in her wheelchair with no hearing aid. The next day at lunch, she sat in the dining room again without the device.
Activity Director Z told inspectors that morning that the resident didn't have a hearing aid. Staff had to speak loudly in her right ear so she could hear anything. The resident rarely spoke, the activity director said.
Multiple staff members confirmed they had never seen the resident with a hearing aid. Certified Nurse Aide N and Certified Medication Aide R said they had never observed one. Two other nursing assistants, CNA P and CNA O, also reported the resident didn't have a hearing aid and said they didn't even know she was supposed to use one according to her care plan.
Administrative Nurse F acknowledged the resident required a hearing aid and was care planned for one, but admitted uncertainty about whether she actually had the device.
The confusion deepened when Activity Director Z revealed the resident hadn't used a hearing aid since the devices "quit working some time last year." The hearing aid wouldn't hold a charge, she explained. She said she had informed a nurse about the problem.
Social Service Designee X provided more details about the timeline. The resident's hearing aid had broken four or five months earlier. The social services staff tried to contact the resident's durable power of attorney about replacing it but couldn't reach him. She wasn't sure if insurance would cover a new hearing aid or if the resident had personal funds for the repair. This information was documented in the resident's electronic medical record, she said.
No audiologist appointment had been scheduled.
The resident's activities notes from August and September 2025 documented her hearing impairment and noted she wore a hearing aid "when available." By September, staff recorded that she had "limited communication" due to her hearing loss.
On April 8, the situation suddenly changed. Activity Director Z told inspectors that morning that the resident had a hearing aid that charged at the nurses' desk. She then retrieved the device and placed it in the resident's right ear.
The resident smiled.
Administrative Nurse D explained that she expected staff to ensure resident hearing aids were offered and placed on residents as ordered. She revealed that an unnamed facility nurse had purchased a hearing aid for the resident, though she wasn't sure when it arrived. The device had been sitting at the nurses' desk, charging.
The facility provided no policy governing hearing aid management during the inspection.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to ensure residents receive treatment and care for hearing impairments. The failure to provide assistive devices like hearing aids can lead to social isolation, mental decline, and loss of independence, particularly for residents with dementia who already face communication challenges.
For Resident 43, the consequences were visible in her daily interactions. Staff had to shout to communicate with her. Her participation in activities was limited. Her ability to connect with caregivers and other residents was severely compromised during the months without her hearing aid.
The inspection found the facility failed to ensure the dependent resident received staff assistance in placing her hearing aids, creating risk for social isolation, mental decline, and loss of independence. The violation was classified as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm, affecting few residents.
Medical records showed the resident's condition had not changed significantly over time. Her dementia remained severe, with staff assessments indicating she was rarely or never understood during mental status evaluations. Her reliance on staff for basic needs made the hearing aid even more critical for her daily care and quality of life.
The resident's care plan, last revised in January 2025, clearly stated that staff should provide the hearing aid for the right ear to be worn during the day. The plan specified that the case should be left at the nurses' station to charge overnight. Despite these written instructions, multiple staff members were unaware of the requirement or the device's existence.
The breakdown in communication extended beyond the nursing staff. While the activity director knew about the broken hearing aid and had reported it to nursing staff, no systematic follow-up occurred. The social services designee attempted to contact the resident's power of attorney but made no further progress when that effort failed.
The resident's physician orders from January 2023 had authorized audiologist visits as needed, but no such appointments were scheduled even after the hearing aid stopped working. The facility's approach appeared reactive rather than proactive in addressing the resident's communication needs.
When the working hearing aid finally appeared during the inspection, its source remained unclear. An unnamed nurse had apparently purchased the device, but facility leadership couldn't specify when it arrived or why it hadn't been provided to the resident sooner.
The incident highlights broader questions about care coordination and staff training at the facility. Multiple nursing assistants and medication aides were unaware of the resident's hearing aid requirement, despite it being documented in her care plan. The lack of a facility policy for hearing aid management may have contributed to the oversight.
For months, Resident 43 lived in a more isolated world than necessary, cut off from normal conversation and social interaction by a hearing impairment that could have been addressed with proper attention to her existing care plan and the device sitting unused at the nurses' station.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for El Dorado Care and Rehab from 2026-04-09 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 13, 2026 · Our methodology
EL DORADO CARE AND REHAB in EL DORADO, KS was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 9, 2026.
Resident 43 smiled when staff finally placed the hearing aid in her right ear during a federal inspection in April.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened at EL DORADO CARE AND REHAB?
- Resident 43 smiled when staff finally placed the hearing aid in her right ear during a federal inspection in April.
- How serious are these violations?
- Violation severity varies from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the inspection report for specific deficiency codes and scope. All violations must be corrected within required timeframes and are subject to follow-up verification inspections.
- What should families do?
- Families should: (1) Ask facility administration about specific corrective actions taken, (2) Request to see the follow-up inspection report verifying corrections, (3) Check if this represents a pattern by reviewing prior inspection reports, (4) Compare this facility's ratings with other nursing homes in EL DORADO, KS, (5) Report any new concerns directly to state authorities.
- Where can I see the full inspection report?
- The complete inspection report is available on Medicare.gov's Care Compare website (www.medicare.gov/care-compare). You can also request a copy directly from EL DORADO CARE AND REHAB or from the state Department of Health. The report includes specific deficiency codes, facility responses, and correction timelines. This facility's federal provider number is 175324.
- Has this facility had violations before?
- To check EL DORADO CARE AND REHAB's history, visit Medicare.gov's Care Compare and review their inspection history, quality ratings, and staffing levels. Look for patterns of repeated violations, especially in critical areas like abuse prevention, medication management, infection control, and resident safety.