Optalis Dearborn Heights: Fall Safety Failure - MI
The facility, Optalis Health and Rehabilitation of Dearborn Heights, had a system in place. Residents who needed two-person assistance for bed mobility were supposed to be identified through a designation called "Happy Feet," with that requirement written into their care plans and posted in care guides called Kardexes. Staff knew the designation existed. They didn't follow it.
Federal inspectors classified the violation as causing actual harm, the agency's finding that a real resident suffered a real consequence, not a paperwork problem or a near miss.
After the complaint triggered the inspection, the facility's interdisciplinary team conducted a one-time audit of all residents requiring two-person bed mobility assistance on April 6. Care plans were reviewed and updated. Every nursing staff member, including certified nursing assistants and nurses, received education that same day on fall management and the Happy Feet designation. A signed acknowledgment from CNA DG confirmed the training was received.
Follow-up audits ran on April 8, April 13, and April 27. The facility set its compliance date as April 7, one day after the retraining.
The state surveyor reviewed the documentation and interviewed staff. Those staff, by the time of the interviews, could speak to the policies correctly. Inspectors found no additional fall violations among other residents.
What the record does not show is what happened to the resident who was already hurt, in the time between when the requirement existed and when staff were finally made to sit down and sign their names to it.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Optalis Health and Rehabilitation of Dearborn Heig from 2026-04-30 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Download the official CMS inspection PDF from Medicare.gov
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: September 6, 2026 · Our methodology
Optalis Health and Rehabilitation of Dearborn Heig in Dearborn Heights, MI was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 30, 2026.
The facility, Optalis Health and Rehabilitation of Dearborn Heights, had a system in place.
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.