Investigation finds Lino Lakes Assisted Living responsible in resident’s hypothermia-related death

A Minnesota Department of Health investigation into the death of a resident with dementia at Lino Lakes Assisted Living has found the organization responsible for negligence.

According to MDH’s investigation, Lino Lakes Assisted Living (LLAL) failed to direct staff to check on the resident every two to three hours and instead were told to check on the resident as needed. An assessment when he was initially admitted into the facility stated that he needed safety checks every few hours due to him being at risk of falling and having a history of falls.

MDH said this lack of checking resulted in the resident leaving the facility, which staff did not notice until a neighbor found the man sleeping outside in sub-zero temperatures around 7:30 a.m.

It was unknown how long the man had been outside — staff reported they had given him medication around 10:05 p.m. the day before.

He was taken to the hospital, where he died 11 days later from his injuries, which included hypothermia, frostbite, a collapsed lung, and evidence of head trauma. His frostbite was so severe that he was admitted to the hospital’s burn unit.

MDH said the man had been found when temperatures reached a low of -14 degrees and a high of -8 degrees. He was wearing long pants, a light jacket, a shoe on one foot and a sock on the other.

His cause of death was found to be complications of being resuscitated after going into cardiopulmonary arrest due to hypothermia.

MDH concluded LLAL was at fault for maltreatment due to their failure to inform staff they needed to check on the resident every two to three hours. LLAL has the opportunity to appeal the maltreatment finding.

LLAL sent 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the following statement:

“Lino Lakes Assisted Living is committed to upholding residents’, families’ and team members’ health and wellness. The community, which is under new management, is aware of the Minnesota Department of Health’s investigation and findings and Lino Lakes Assisted Living is cooperating with state health officials.

Our team offers our deepest condolences to our beloved community member’s family and friends. To remain compliant with HIPAA and our community privacy policies, we are unable to make any additional comments at this time.”