The changelog is not a good read here.
State investigators from Minnesota's Department of Health have concluded that Covered Bridge Assisted Living in Holdingford was responsible for neglect after staff supplied resident Don Brambrink with 18 shots of liquor and a beer in the 24 hours before a scheduled doctor's appointment, according to an investigative report cited by FOX 9 Minneapolis.
The timeline, pulled directly from the Department of Health report, is worth reading slowly. The night before the appointment: two shots at 6:54 p.m., two at 8 p.m., two at 9:20 p.m. The morning of: two shots at 3:55 a.m., a beer at 5 a.m., two shots at 5:55 a.m., two at 8:15 a.m., two at 9:15 a.m., two at 10:55 a.m., and two more at 12:30 p.m.
Brambrink missed his telehealth appointment. Authorities were alerted. The facility's registered nurse told investigators he was 'dead to the world' after drinking while fishing. When a staff member from his primary care physician's office called back to request vital signs, the RN reported Brambrink had been found on the floor and 'didn't feel right.' He was transported to the emergency room shortly after.
His blood alcohol level at the hospital was 0.23% — nearly three times the legal driving limit of 0.08%, according to the report. Hospital staff recommended keeping him overnight to evaluate for alcohol withdrawal. Brambrink refused, telling them he 'would rather go home and continue to drink.'
The facility had a typed-out 'alcohol plan' for Brambrink stipulating two shots per hour because, per the report, he was 'trying to drown out the voices.' The report notes he had heard voices for 40 years, was homeless before moving into the facility, drank alcohol daily, and had a history of meth use. His diagnoses included psychoactive substance abuse and anxiety.
Covered Bridge owner Trista Barstow defended the facility's approach to FOX 9, arguing it is one of the few willing to take in what she called 'extreme alcoholics.' 'Monitoring them and trying to help them space these things out is actually a step-up. Which, sounds insane,' she acknowledged. The facility has said it intends to appeal the neglect finding, citing the Minnesota Resident Bill of Rights, which grants competent adult residents the right to make personal choices including alcohol consumption.
Here's the thing. Resident autonomy is a real principle, and it matters — the instinct to protect it from bureaucratic override is correct. But a written protocol delivering two shots per hour to a man with documented psychoactive substance abuse, scheduled medical appointments, and a history of being found unresponsive is not a care plan. It is a liability document dressed up as one. The regulatory finding of neglect exists precisely for cases where the gap between paperwork and actual resident welfare becomes impossible to ignore. The appeal will test whether Minnesota's oversight infrastructure can tell the difference.
