Minnesota state investigators have concluded that an assisted living facility in Holdingford neglected a resident after staff gave him 18 shots of liquor and a beer in the hours before a scheduled doctor's appointment.
The finding came in an investigative report from the Minnesota Department of Health and involved Covered Bridge Assisted Living. State officials identified the resident as Don Brambrink and said the case came to light after he missed a telehealth appointment because he had been drinking while fishing. The facility's registered nurse told investigators that Brambrink was «dead to the world» after the outing.
The report described exactly when staff gave Brambrink alcohol before the appointment. The night before, he received two shots at 6:54 p.m., two shots at 8 p.m., and two shots at 9:20 p.m. The morning of the appointment, staff gave him two shots at 3:55 a.m., a beer at 5 a.m., two shots at 5:55 a.m., two shots at 8:15 a.m., two shots at 9:15 a.m., two shots at 10:55 a.m., and two shots at 12:30 p.m.
Brambrink's primary care physician requested that he be sent to the emergency room. According to the report, when the doctor's office called back to ask that vital signs be checked, the nurse reported that the resident was found down on the floor and «didn't feel right.» He was transported to the emergency room shortly afterward.
Hospital staff wanted to keep Brambrink overnight to evaluate him for alcohol withdrawal, but he refused, saying he would rather go home and continue to drink. The report said his blood alcohol level was 0.23%, almost three times the legal driving limit of 0.08%.
Investigators also detailed Brambrink's medical history. He had diagnoses including psychoactive substance abuse and anxiety, had heard voices for 40 years, and was homeless before moving into the facility. The report said he drank alcohol daily and had a history of methamphetamine use.
Covered Bridge had a written «alcohol plan» for Brambrink that allowed him two shots per hour because he was «trying to drown out the voices,» the investigation found. The state concluded that the facility was responsible for neglect in connection with the care it provided.
The facility's owner, Trista Barstow, defended the home's approach, saying Covered Bridge is one of the few facilities willing to accept people she described as «extreme alcoholics.» She argued that monitoring such residents and helping them space out their drinking was actually a step-up in care, a claim she acknowledged sounds unusual.
Barstow said the facility disagrees with the state's finding and intends to appeal. In a statement, she pointed to Minnesota's Resident Bill of Rights, which she said gives competent adult residents the right to make lawful personal choices, including whether to consume alcohol. She said the facility's responsibility is not to make those decisions for residents, but to educate them about risks, assess their health and safety, monitor for concerns, and respond when intervention is needed.
She added that when a resident's condition requires medical evaluation or emergency care, the facility takes appropriate steps to ensure safety, including arranging transport to an emergency department.
