Minnesota Department of Health investigates complaint at Kasson living facility

(ABC 6 News) — The Minnesota Department of Health determined that a Kasson assisted living facility failed to maintain adequate staffing over the summer.

The investigation stemmed from a complaint alleging the company could not meet the needs — including the possibility of emergencies — on a day-to-day basis.

According to the MDH’s report, Ability Holdings Prairie Meadows was regularly staffed with only one caregiver during the overnight shift.

The care facility had a resident who needed two caregivers and a mechanical lift to be moved.

As a result, the care facility’s plan was to call the fire department to provide lift assistance during the overnight shift, according to the MDH’s report.

During an interview in July, the health care coordinator stated that the goal was to staff three caregivers for the overnight shift, but they had difficulty staffing the shift. The health care coordinator also said that the resident had not had any falls in the previous three months.

Marketing and brand management director Meg Harper released the following statement on behalf of Prairie Meadows:

“At Prairie Meadows Senior Living, our primary commitment is to the well-being and care of our residents. We want to emphasize that we take any concerns of this nature seriously and are committed to thoroughly investigating and addressing them. Following this assessment, the Minnesota Department of Health did confirm there was no harm to resident health or safety. The community is working with the state department to evaluate and develop a robust staffing plan to include unscheduled resident needs.”

The Minnesota Department of Health gave Ability Holdings seven days to find a solution to their understaffed overnight shift, according to the report.