Home care facilities in Staples, Cottage Grove found responsible by MDH investigators
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two Minnesota Department of Health investigations released Tuesday found home care facilities in Cottage Grove and Staples responsible in two different cases.
Triple Angels Healthcare
The investigation into Triple Angels Healthcare in Cottage Grove occurred as a result of a client’s death at the facility where a staff member allegedly failed to conduct safety checks on a client that were planned for every two hours.
The client had a number of disorders, including type 1 diabetes, and was found dead in his room early one morning.
According to the Department of Health, the accused party, “had at least five opportunities to find the client in crisis and activate the emergency medical system; however, she admitted she did not look for the client at all during her shift.”
In an interview, the staff member said the client requested that nobody bother him overnight to let him sleep. She said she was simply complying with that request, despite a service plan that included check-ins every two hours.
That staffer is no longer employed by Triple Angels, and the facility revised their policy for safety checks, created a safety check log and hired a consulting firm to address the issues.
A Daughter’s Love
The Department of Health also found A Daughter’s Love, of Staples, neglectful after one of its clients was found walking in the middle of the street on a day where the high temperature was 21 degrees and the low was minus 8.
The facility was found responsible because the door alarm and lock system to the home failed to secure the client, who was diagnosed with dementia and confusion.
In response, the facility provided staff education on the security and locking of the home.
The client was moved to a different home and given a wander system that alerts staff when the client leaves a boundary around it.