Report: Caregiver abused vulnerable adult in St. Cloud

A Minnesota Department of Human Services investigation has determined that a caregiver at a St. Cloud assisted living facility abused a vulnerable adult living there.

The report issued earlier this month indicates that a staff member of REM Central Lakes, which operated a residence at 2501 Goettens Way, got into a confrontation with a resident on Oct. 10 that led to the resident suffering a black eye, scratches and broken eyeglasses and necklace.

The human services department determined that the staffer, whom it did not identify, grabbed the neck of the resident, slammed the resident into a wall and to the ground. Once on the ground, the staffer put a knee into the stomach of the resident to gain the upper hand. The case was referred for possible criminal charges against the staffer, according to the human services report.

Pat Masyga, executive director of REM Central Lakes, said the company has a "zero tolerance" policy regarding the abuse of anyone served by their programs, and the caregiver involved in the incident is no longer an employee of REM Central Lakes.

The company is limited in what it can say about the incident because of privacy and confidentiality laws, Masyga said.

"As an organization dedicated to providing quality of life enhancing services to individuals with a range of special needs, we take our obligation to maximize the safety and well-being of those we serve very seriously," Masyga said. "All staff are trained on appropriate de-escalation techniques and are expected to conduct themselves professionally."

According to the report:

The staffer had ongoing disagreements and conflicts with the resident, whose diagnoses included traumatic brain injury. The resident was physically and verbally aggressive to the point of "provoking abuse from others," according to the report.

Staffers tried to reduce the risk for abuse by communicating, redirecting, providing space and offering alternative activities for the resident.

The incident in question happened late Oct. 10 when a staffer was moving their personal vehicle into the garage at the residence and the resident came out to confront the staffer, saying that staffers weren't allowed to park in the garage.

Staffers were allowed to park personal vehicles in the garage overnight. The resident slapped the hood of the staffer's vehicle, and the two got into an argument.

The staffer put hands on the upper chest of the resident and pushed the resident against the garage wall. The staffer's hands moved toward the resident's neck, and the resident pulled the staffer's hands down, causing the resident's shirt to tear.

The two began to wrestle and eventually ended up on the ground, where the staffer used their knees to get control of the resident. The resident had scratch marks on the arms, neck and back.

The staffer was able to send a text message to another staff person to come to the residence and help. That second staffer called police.

The staffer who assaulted the resident was disqualified from providing "direct contact services" and no longer works at the facility, according to the state report.

Follow David Unze on Twitter @sctimesunze or call him at 255-8740.