Assisted living facility found neglectful after resident given 12 shots, beer before doctor's visit

HOLDINGFORD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Stearns County assisted living facility is under scrutiny after a resident drank heavily before a doctor’s appointment, but both the resident and the facility’s owner say there’s more to the story.

State investigators find neglect after heavy drinking

What we know:

State health investigators found that staff at Covered Bridge Assisted Living gave Don Brambrink 12 shots of hard liquor and a beer by 12:30 p.m. before a doctor’s appointment in June. 

"To a normal person, it does sound insane," said Holly Rudh, a registered nurse and director of nursing at Covered Bridge.

She found Brambrink "dead to the world" and sent him to the emergency room at a doctor’s request, where he registered a 0.23% blood alcohol content.

"I get here and he was asleep, breathing," Rudh said. "[We] did the [delayed] appointment and [the doctor] said, ‘Well, I think he needs to go to ER.’"

Investigators concluded the facility neglected Brambrink by allowing him to become dangerously intoxicated. State law allows assisted living facilities to restrict or deny alcohol if it’s a safety issue or if the resident agrees to limits.

The backstory:

Brambrink’s life has been shaped by homelessness and addiction, and moving into Covered Bridge was meant to help him start over.

He says the facility helped him overcome a 40-year meth addiction and that he has not had alcohol since June 9.

"I haven't been neglected. They're actually taking care of me, treating me like a king," said Brambrink. He added, "I haven't taken a drop. So this place has helped me do that. I'm getting my life in order."

Covered Bridge’s approach to addiction recovery

The other side:

Trista Barstow, owner of Covered Bridge, says the facility takes in residents with severe addictions who have nowhere else to go.

"They have come to us as extreme alcoholics that nobody else would take. Most of our residents, nobody else would accept into their facility," said Barstow.

She explained that staffers sometimes buy alcohol for residents and keep an eye on their consumption, since they are not allowed to restrict where residents go.

"Monitoring them and trying to help them space these things out is actually a step-up. Which, sounds insane," said Barstow.

Barstow says their approach has helped several residents reduce or stop their substance use, including Brambrink. The facility plans to appeal the neglect finding and is working with residents to create better plans for when staff should intervene.

"We're making better pre-plans with the residents. At what point are you letting us tell you this is enough?" said Barstow.

Barstow believes that giving residents some control and monitoring their intake has led to positive outcomes, with some now only using cigarettes and non-alcoholic beers.

Local perspective:

State investigators say the incident was thoroughly investigated and they stand by their finding of neglect.

Covered Bridge, meanwhile, says it is working to improve its policies and help residents manage their addictions in a supportive environment.

What they're saying:

Here is the complete written statement Barstow gave FOX 9 before our interview:

"We respectfully disagree with the cited deficiency and intend to appeal. We believe our policies, individualized care planning, and documentation reflect our commitment to resident rights, resident safety, and compliance with Minnesota assisted living regulations.

Residents who choose to purchase alcohol do so using their own funds. As part of our shopping assistance program, staff may assist residents with purchasing personal items, including alcohol, when requested. Resident-owned alcohol is stored securely and monitored to help prevent theft, misuse, or disputes regarding consumption, particularly because many of our residents have limited financial resources and share living spaces.

When a resident requires assistance due to a physical or functional limitation, staff may assist them in accessing or pouring their own alcohol in accordance with their individualized care plan, resident rights, and facility policies. Our staff are not providing alcohol to residents; they are assisting residents with alcohol that belongs to the resident, just as they assist with other activities of daily living.

Under the Minnesota Resident Bill of Rights, competent adult residents have the right to make lawful personal choices, including whether to consume alcohol. That includes the right to make decisions we may not agree with or recommend, including excessive drinking. Our responsibility is not to make those decisions for residents, but to educate them about the risks, assess their health and safety, monitor for concerns, and respond appropriately when intervention is needed. If a resident's condition requires medical evaluation or emergency care, we take the appropriate steps to ensure their safety, including arranging transport to the emergency department when necessary.

We have several residents come to our facility via adult protection as extreme alcoholics who no other assisted living home would accept due to their condition. We accept extreme care cases and have success stories of residents becoming drug and alcohol-free since moving into our facility, and we are very proud of the success of our residents."

Here is the complete statement a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Health sent us after we asked whether they’d like to respond to Barstow’s comments:
"This matter was thoroughly investigated by Health Regulation Division staff and MDH stands by the report’s substantiated finding of neglect in accordance with the Minnesota Reporting of Maltreatment of Vulnerable Adults Act (Minn. Stat. 626.557)."

The full investigative report can be found below:

And here are a couple of previous MDH investigations: One concluded in April and another concluded just before the alcohol investigation in June.

What we don't know:

It is not clear what changes, if any, state officials may require at Covered Bridge following the investigation or how the appeal process will play out for the facility.

Criminal charges are possible, but the Stearns County Attorney’s Office tells us they have not received any investigation at this time.