Whittier Pacific Care Center
WHITTIER PACIFIC CARE CENTER in WHITTIER, CA — inspection on February 20, 2026.
Found 1 citation. Severity: Standard violations.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct within required timeframes. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns and are subject to follow-up verification.
Inspection Findings
During a concurrent interview and record review on 2/17/2026 at 3:33 PM, Resident 1's TAR for 2/2026 was reviewed. TN 2 stated the LALM setting should be based on the resident's weight. TN 2 stated the LALM simulates repositioning and releases pressure on the other side. TN 2 stated the LALM was a pressure redistribution mattress and offloads pressure on the boney prominences. TN 2 stated Resident 1's weight should be set closest to the setting, if the setting is higher than the resident's weight, the mattress would be firmer in some cases. TN 2 stated the setting of 120 could be too firm for a resident who was 88 lbs. TN 2 stated Resident 1 had a partial reopen of the skin, no redness or maceration, and no foul odors.
During an interview on 2/17/2026 at 4:20 PM, the Director of Nursing (DON) stated if the resident was 88 lbs, the LALM setting should be at 80.
The DON stated the resident's weight should always be higher than the LALM setting.
The DON stated if the LALM setting was higher, it defeats the purpose of redistribution and could fail in offloading the bony prominences.
The DON stated a firm mattress due to incorrect weight setting could potentially increase the pressure on the resident's skin.
During an interview on 2/17/2026 at 4:55 PM, the Administrator (ADM) stated the facility's policy and procedure (P&P) did not have a specific setting or instruction on how to set the LALM.
During a concurrent interview and record review with the ADM on 2/17/2026 at 5:15 PM , the LALM Operator's Manual was reviewed.
The ADM stated the operator's manual did not indicate what to set the mattress to.
The ADM stated based on the resident's weight of 88 lbs., the LALM setting of 80 would be more appropriate than 120.
During a concurrent interview and record review with the DON 2/20/2026 at 11:13 AM, Resident 1's Care Plan for at risk for pressure ulcers dated 12/31/2025 was reviewed.
The DON stated Resident 1's care plan indicated an intervention that the low air loss mattress was to be set according to resident's weight. A review of the undated operation manual for Protekt Aire 4000DX/5000DX (LALM) indicated users can adjust air mattress to a desired firmness according to patient's weight or the suggestion from a health care professional. A review of the facility's P&P titled Support Surface Guidelines dated 9/2013 indicated the P&P was to provide guidelines for the assessment of appropriate pressure reducing and relieving devices for residents at risk of skin breakdown.
The P&P indicated to review the resident's care plan to assess for any special needs of the residents.
The P&P indicated redistributing support surfaces are to promote comfort for all bed-or chairbound residents, prevent skin breakdown, promote circulation and provide pressure relief or reduction.