Galion Meadows: Feces-Eating Resident Left Without Care Plan - OH
Nobody made a care plan. Nobody told his doctor.
The resident, identified in inspection records only as Resident #03, was at the center of the facility's most significant deficiency cited during a May 26 inspection by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Inspectors found that staff had observed the behavior, discussed it among themselves, and failed to develop any formal intervention or notify the physician of record.
LPN #296 told inspectors she had witnessed Resident #03 eating feces. She said she believed he understood he wasn't supposed to do it, but she didn't think he understood it was harmful to his health. When she raised it with colleagues, she was told it wasn't unusual for him. She left it there.
The physician, identified as Physician #295, told inspectors during an interview the afternoon of the inspection that he could not find any record that he had been notified on December 3, 2025, about the resident eating feces. That was nearly six months before inspectors arrived. He said he wasn't sure whether anything could be done to stop the behavior. He said care plans were done by nursing, so he wouldn't be involved. He said he would expect that staff clean the room and the resident.
That was, apparently, the extent of the response.
Physician #295 also told inspectors he had not been informed that a guardianship process for Resident #03 had not gone forward. He said that if the resident didn't understand the implications of his own decisions, that would suggest guardianship might be beneficial. He said he planned to do another capacity evaluation and noted that a guardian could also advocate for a counselor if that was something Resident #03 wanted. "We have to do what we can for him to have a good quality of life," Physician #295 said.
The Director of Social Services, identified as staff member #269, told inspectors that a friend of Resident #03, whom the resident had asked to be notified about his care, had not been to a care conference in a while.
The facility's own behavioral assessment policy, dated September 2021, describes a process that did not happen here. The policy calls for the interdisciplinary team to thoroughly evaluate new or changing behavioral symptoms to identify underlying causes, assess the degree of severity and potential safety risk, and develop a plan of care. It states that safety strategies will be implemented immediately if necessary.
None of that appears to have been applied to Resident #03.
Eating feces, known medically as coprophagia, carries serious infection risks, including exposure to bacteria such as E. coli and other pathogens present in human waste. It is sometimes observed in residents with severe cognitive impairment or certain psychiatric conditions. It is not a behavior that resolves by telling a resident to stop.
What the inspection record shows is a staff that normalized something alarming, a physician kept in the dark for months, a guardianship process that stalled without anyone looping in the doctor, and a friend who stopped coming to care conferences while no one appears to have followed up.
Physician #295 said he planned to do a capacity evaluation. He said a guardian might help. He said the facility has to do what it can.
Resident #03 had been waiting, without a plan, since at least December.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Galion Meadows Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation from 2026-05-26 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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: August 17, 2026 · Our methodology
Galion Meadows Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation in GALION, OH was cited for violations during a health inspection on May 26, 2026.
LPN #296 told inspectors she had witnessed Resident #03 eating feces.
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.