The husband had purchased clothing from Woman Within due to his wife's size and labeled everything with her name. The facility handled her laundry, but items kept disappearing.
Resident #76 approached Social Services staff in May with a handwritten list of missing items. She returned with different lists for three consecutive days. Staff member SS #231 searched the resident's room and laundry area, finding some items and marking them off the lists.
SS #231 suggested the resident speak with her husband about items potentially sent home or donated. The staff member never followed up to ensure the issue was resolved, assuming it was handled since the resident stopped mentioning it.
The assumption was wrong.
During the September inspection, SS #231 showed Resident #76 the original handwritten list titled "Missing Items." The resident reviewed it and confirmed the unchecked items were still missing.
The husband had spoken with the Administrator months earlier about the missing clothing. The Administrator promised to investigate. When the husband followed up, the Administrator said the facility would not reimburse for the missing items.
The family had to replace all of Resident #76's missing clothing themselves.
The husband denied taking large amounts of clothing home, stating he had only taken a blouse and shoes to spot clean them since the facility didn't provide stain removal services. Everything else had vanished from the facility's laundry system.
The Administrator acknowledged receiving reports of missing clothing from Resident #26's spouse as well. The facility asked that family to provide a list of missing items but never received one. The spouse continued visiting several times weekly without mentioning the missing items again.
The Administrator never followed up.
SS #231 kept six copies of Resident #76's missing items lists but took no action to resolve the outstanding complaints. The Director of Nursing confirmed Resident #76 didn't have a personal items inventory list, and her missing clothing concerns weren't recorded in the facility's grievance log.
This violated the facility's own policy on resident grievances and concerns. The September 2021 policy stated residents had the right to voice complaints about any concern regarding their stay. Upon receiving any oral, written, or anonymous grievance, the facility was supposed to take immediate action to complete a timely investigation and prevent further violations.
Nobody investigated. Nobody prevented further violations.
The inspection revealed a pattern of dismissing resident property complaints without proper documentation or follow-through. Staff assumed problems were resolved when residents stopped complaining, rather than actively ensuring resolution.
For Resident #76's family, the cost was $600 in replacement clothing for items that had been carefully labeled with her name and entrusted to the facility's care. The emotional cost of watching personal belongings disappear without explanation or accountability was harder to quantify.
The missing clothing violations were part of a broader complaint investigation spanning multiple case numbers, suggesting this wasn't an isolated incident at the facility.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for New Lebanon Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center from 2025-09-30 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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