Not rated by CMS — ratings are suppressed for new or low-volume facilities.
The next survey window likely opens around December 2026
Estimate from public CMS data, current as of June 2026. Survey timing is at the state agency's discretion.
Citation history
Health deficiencies cited at Life Care Center Of The Willows during CMS and state inspections, most recent first.
A resident with dementia who required staff assistance for ADLs, including bathing, was scheduled to receive showers twice weekly, but facility records showed no bathing documented on multiple scheduled shower days, and no corresponding shower sheets were completed. The resident’s care plan and MDS indicated a need for partial to moderate staff assistance with toileting hygiene, dressing, personal hygiene, and bathing, yet the resident was mistakenly left off the shower schedule on at least one of the missed days and did not receive a shower as planned.
Staff failed to follow infection control guidelines by not wearing masks when entering a resident's room marked for droplet and enhanced barrier precautions. Both a wound nurse and a CNA wore gowns and gloves but did not use masks, and staff were unclear about the resident's current isolation status despite signage and physician orders indicating the need for precautions.
Multiple areas of the facility, including three halls and the dining room, were found to have dirty and discolored vents, exposed electrical wiring, and a broken baseboard heating cover. The Maintenance Director was aware of the exposed wiring and noted that vent cleaning and repairs were still pending.
The facility did not ensure that CNAs consistently documented incontinence care every shift for three residents with cognitive impairment and incontinence, as required by facility policy. Record reviews showed multiple instances of missing documentation over a 30-day period, despite care plans and MDS assessments indicating the need for substantial assistance with toileting and hygiene.
The facility failed to maintain the privacy of residents' personal and medical records during a medication pass. An LPN was observed leaving the electronic medication record open and unlocked in the hallway while preparing medications for two residents, exposing their personal information. The LPN admitted to not knowing how to lock the screen, and the DON confirmed that screens should be locked when unattended.
A facility failed to implement care plans for a resident with severe cognitive impairment and multiple medication needs, including opioids. Despite being on hospice care and requiring maximal assistance for daily living activities, there were no care plans addressing pain management and opioid use. The DON confirmed the absence of these care plans.
A resident with a stage 4 pressure ulcer did not receive wound care as per the physician's orders. The prescribed treatment included specific steps and materials, but the observed care involved different products and procedures. The resident had significant cognitive impairment and required substantial assistance for bed mobility. The discrepancy was noted by the IP Nurse upon review.
A facility failed to provide a nutritional supplement and maintain accurate meal logs for a resident with a history of weight loss. The resident, who was at nutritional risk, did not receive the fortified soup indicated on her meal ticket, and meal consumption logs were incomplete. Staff interviews revealed a lack of awareness of the resident's dietary orders, and the Dietary Manager confirmed the importance of meal logs for assessing nutritional needs.
An LPN failed to perform proper hand hygiene during a medication pass for two residents. The LPN did not wash hands before preparing medications and only used hand sanitizer after pouring medications into a cup. The LPN misunderstood the hand hygiene protocol, believing it was only necessary to wash hands after every third resident. The facility's policy requires hand hygiene before and after resident contact and after touching objects in the resident's environment.
A facility failed to ensure timely follow-up on urine culture results for a resident with a UTI, leading to the administration of an ineffective antibiotic. The resident, who was cognitively intact and dependent on staff for toileting, was prescribed ciprofloxacin after returning from the hospital. Despite a request for hospital records, the facility did not receive the urine culture results until after the antibiotic course was completed, revealing resistance to ciprofloxacin. The delay resulted in continued symptoms for the resident.
Failure to Provide Scheduled Showers for Dependent Resident
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure a dependent resident received bathing/showers at least twice weekly as required. Record review for Resident C, who had dementia and was cognitively impaired, showed a care plan updated on 1/7/26 indicating the resident required assistance with ADLs, including mobility and personal care. The Quarterly MDS dated 2/27/26 documented that the resident needed partial to moderate staff assistance with toileting hygiene, dressing, personal hygiene, and bathing. Facility Point of Care documentation from 2/4/26 through 3/24/26 indicated the resident was scheduled to receive showers on Thursdays and Sundays, but there was no bathing documented on 3/1/26, 3/12/26, and 3/19/26. Corresponding shower sheets for those dates were also missing. During interview, the ADON confirmed she could not locate completed shower sheets for those dates and stated the resident had been mistakenly left off the shower schedule on 3/12/26 and did not receive a shower on that date. This citation relates to Intake 2960382 and violations of 410 IAC 16.2-3.1-38(a)(3) and 410 IAC 16.2-3.1-38(b)(2).
Failure to Implement Proper PPE and Isolation Precautions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper infection prevention and control practices were followed, specifically regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff awareness of isolation precautions. During observations, staff members, including a wound nurse and a CNA, entered a resident's room that was marked for enhanced barrier precautions (EBP) and droplet precautions without wearing masks, although they wore gowns and gloves. The wound nurse was unaware of the reason for the droplet precaution signage and believed the resident was only on contact isolation. The CNA did not question the signage, assuming the resident was no longer in isolation, and indicated she was unaware of any prior droplet isolation for the resident. The resident involved had multiple diagnoses, including neuromyelitis optica, paraplegia, pressure ulcer, neuromuscular dysfunction, dysphagia, and anemia, and was cognitively intact. Physician orders indicated EBP due to wounds and a Foley catheter, and there had been a previous order for contact and droplet precautions related to a COVID-19 infection. The care plan also indicated contact isolation for prophylactic antibiotic use for C. difficile. Despite these orders and signage, staff did not consistently implement appropriate PPE use or verify the current isolation status, leading to a failure in following infection control guidelines.
Environmental Cleanliness and Safety Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a clean and safe environment for residents, staff, and the public, as evidenced by multiple deficiencies observed during an environmental tour. Dirty and discolored ceiling vents were found throughout the East Hall, Center Hall, [NAME] Hall, and the dining room. In the Center Hall, exposed electrical wiring was observed both across from a resident room and hanging from a ceiling tile. Additionally, the dining room had a baseboard heating unit cover that was not attached. During an interview, the Maintenance Director acknowledged awareness of the exposed wiring and stated that the covers had been knocked off about a week prior and had not yet been replaced. The vents throughout the facility were also noted to be in need of power washing or replacement.
Failure to Maintain Complete Incontinence Care Documentation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain complete and accurate clinical records regarding incontinence care for three residents who required assistance with activities of daily living (ADL). For each resident, the care plans and Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments indicated varying levels of cognitive impairment and dependence on staff for toileting and hygiene, with frequent or occasional incontinence noted. Facility policy required Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) to document incontinence care at least every shift, three times daily, including whether the resident was continent or incontinent of bowel and bladder. Record reviews for the previous 30 days revealed multiple shifts where incontinence care documentation was missing for all three residents. Specific dates and shifts were identified for each resident where no documentation was present, despite the expectation for consistent charting. During interviews, the Regional Nurse Consultant confirmed that CNAs were required to document incontinence care every shift and was unable to provide further information regarding the missing documentation. The facility's policy on incontinence management also emphasized the need for documentation following care procedures.
Failure to Maintain Privacy of Electronic Medication Records
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain the privacy of residents' personal and medical records during a medication pass. On November 8, 2024, an LPN was observed preparing medications for two residents in the hallway using an electronic medication record on a computer. After preparing the medications for Resident 113, the LPN left the computer screen open and unlocked, exposing the resident's medications and personal information. The same incident occurred when the LPN prepared medications for Resident 6, again leaving the computer screen open and unlocked in the hallway. During an interview, the LPN admitted to not locking the screen, citing a lack of knowledge on how to unlock it. The Director of Nursing confirmed that computer screens should be locked when unattended and stated she would address the issue with the nurse.
Failure to Implement Care Plans for Pain and Opioid Use
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement care plans for a resident, identified as Resident 9, who was severely cognitively impaired and required maximal to total dependence on staff for activities of daily living. The resident's diagnoses included senile degeneration of the brain and dementia, and she was receiving hospice care. According to the Quarterly Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment, the resident was on multiple medications, including antipsychotic, anti-anxiety, antidepressant, and opioid medications. Specifically, the November 2024 Physician Order Summary indicated that the resident was prescribed morphine sulfate, an opioid pain medication, to be administered as needed every two hours, with a requirement for staff to observe for opioid side effects every shift. However, there were no care plans in place addressing pain management and opioid use for this resident. During an interview, the Director of Nursing confirmed the absence of these care plans in the resident's current care plan.
Failure to Follow Physician's Orders for Pressure Ulcer Care
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide necessary treatment and services to promote healing for a resident with a stage 4 pressure ulcer. On observation, the wound care provided to the resident did not align with the physician's orders. The resident, who had significant cognitive impairment and required substantial assistance for bed mobility, was observed receiving wound care that deviated from the prescribed treatment. The physician's order specified cleansing the coccyx with wound wash, applying skin prep to the periwound, a thin layer of germ shield to the wound bed, collagen, silver alginate, and a small foam dressing. However, the observed treatment involved the application of antimicrobial gel and calcium alginate, which was not in accordance with the physician's order. The IP Nurse acknowledged the discrepancy after reviewing the physician's orders.
Failure to Provide Nutritional Supplement and Maintain Meal Logs
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a nutritional supplement was offered during meal service and that food consumption logs were completed for a resident with a history of weight loss. On a specific date, Resident 5, who was seated in a wheelchair in the Assisted Dining Area, did not receive the fortified soup that was indicated on her meal ticket. The resident's meal tray included mashed potatoes, ground meatballs with gravy, vegetables, and ice cream, but lacked the fortified soup. The resident's care plan, which was revised earlier in the year, indicated that she was a nutritional risk and required supplements and a mechanically altered diet. The resident's physician's orders included fortified soup at lunch and supper, which was not provided during the observed meal. Additionally, the facility did not maintain accurate meal consumption logs for Resident 5, who had experienced significant weight loss over six months. The resident's weight had decreased from 136.2 lbs to 120.2 lbs, a loss of 11.75%. The Task Meal Consumption Logs lacked documentation for several meals over the past 30 days, including specific dates for breakfast and lunch. Interviews with staff revealed a lack of awareness regarding the resident's dietary orders, and the Dietary Manager confirmed that the meal consumption logs were important for assessing the need for adjustments in the resident's enteral feeding. The failure to provide the fortified soup and maintain accurate meal logs contributed to the deficiency identified by the surveyors.
Inadequate Hand Hygiene During Medication Pass
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement proper infection control measures during a medication pass, as observed with two residents. On the morning of November 8, 2024, an LPN was seen administering medications to a resident without performing hand hygiene before preparing the medication. After giving the medications to the resident, the LPN returned to the medication cart and prepared medications for another resident, again without performing hand hygiene. The LPN used hand sanitizer only after the medications were poured into the medication cup. The LPN then delivered the medications to the second resident and returned to the medication cart without performing hand hygiene. During an interview, the LPN expressed a misunderstanding of the hand hygiene protocol, believing it was only necessary to wash hands after every third resident. The Director of Nursing confirmed that hand sanitizer should be used, and hands should be washed after every third resident unless something was touched. The facility's hand hygiene policy, dated July 15, 2022, requires hand hygiene before and after contact with residents and after contact with objects and surfaces in the resident's environment.
Failure in Timely Follow-Up on Urine Culture Results
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to promote antibiotic stewardship by not ensuring timely follow-up on urine culture results for a resident with a history of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The resident, who was cognitively intact and dependent on staff for toileting assistance, was sent to the hospital for evaluation of vaginal bleeding and returned with an order for ciprofloxacin to treat a UTI. Despite a request for hospital records being faxed on October 16, 2024, the facility did not receive the urine culture and sensitivity results until October 22, 2024, which indicated resistance to ciprofloxacin and susceptibility to cefuroxime. The resident completed the ciprofloxacin course on October 21, 2024, but continued to experience symptoms, including pain and dark amber urine. The delay in receiving the urine culture results led to the resident being prescribed an ineffective antibiotic for the UTI. The Infection Prevention Nurse acknowledged the difficulty in obtaining timely test results from the hospital, as they had to rely on fax requests, which often required multiple attempts. The facility's antibiotic stewardship policy emphasizes the importance of appropriate antibiotic use to improve resident outcomes and reduce resistance, but this was not adhered to in this instance.
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Resident with a documented fall history left unattended on the patio; found on the ground with a hip fracture.
Walk-in cooler logs missing for 12 days; expired supplements in the medication room fridge.
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Nursing homes near Valparaiso
How nearby facilities compare on the same public inspection record.
| Facility | Distance | Overall rating | Citations, 12 mo | Serious (J–L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso Care & Rehabilitation | 1 mi | — | 28 | 0 |
| Avalon Springs Health Campus | 1.2 mi | — | 14 | 0 |
| Brickyard Healthcare - Valparaiso Care Center | 1.3 mi | — | 0 | 0 |
| Life Care Center Of Valparaiso | 1.9 mi | — | 15 | 0 |
| Ignite Medical Resort Chesterton | 7 mi | — | 27 | 0 |
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Trusted data, never guesswork. Every citation, penalty, rating and Plan of Correction on this page is sourced from public CMS records (latest release August 2026) and official state health department websites.