This browser does not support the Video element.
Unassisted: new bill proposed
There is a push for a bill that would aim to reform how assisted living facilities would handle emergencies. FOX 9 Investigator Nathan O'Neal has the latest.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A new bill aims to reform how assisted living facilities in Minnesota handle emergencies, including when an elderly resident falls.
‘There was zero effort to save him’
Why you should care:
Larry Thompson, 79, died last March after he slowly fell off his electric scooter at Meadow Ridge Senior Living in Golden Valley as staff "watched idly" instead of helping him.
"He did not die peacefully. He died knowing he was suffocating," Thompson’s daughter, Adrienne Sloan, previously told the FOX 9 Investigators. "There was zero effort to save him."
Thompson died from positional asphyxiation after he was trapped with his neck against the wall.
Meadow Ridge was cited for neglect and fined $5,000. The Minnesota Department of Health criticized the facility’s fall policy, which instructed workers to call 911 and to not touch a resident after a fall.
What they're saying:
"They clearly weren’t trained, or they were poorly trained, or they trained in practices that were just downright inhumane," said Kristine Sundberg of Elder Voices Advocates.
Sundberg is now pushing for new legislation which would increase required training for unlicensed workers at assisted living facilities, including requiring a person trained in emergency response be on site 24/7.
Lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would also increase fines against facilities for egregious behavior and require facilities to be more transparent about their policies.
"Never in a million years did I ever think that that would be a policy," Sloan said, speaking about the no-touch policy at Meadow Ridge.
The other side:
Leadership at Meadow Ridge Senior Living refused to comment.
Lobbyists for the assisted living facility have pushed back on legislative efforts in other states, saying they would "increase costs" and deny seniors access to EMS services simply because they happen to reside in a senior community."
Excessive non-emergency 911 calls ‘a strain’ on first responders
Dig deeper:
The FOX 9 Investigators reviewed health records, dispatch data and public testimonies, which revealed that ‘no touch’ or ‘no lift’ policies are common at assisted living facilities in Minnesota and across the country.
"It’s not a good policy," said Minnesota’s long-term care Ombudsman Cheryl Hennan.
What's next:
The proposed legislation has been assigned to the Senate Human Services committee and has bipartisan sponsorship.
A hearing on the bill has not yet been scheduled.
We want to hear from you: If you or a loved one lives in assisted living – ask to see your facility’s fall policy in writing and send it to us at FOX9investigators@fox.com