A Brooklyn Park group home has been cited by state regulators for allowing its lone overnight staff member to sleep while an elderly resident wandered away and into a nearby pond, where she was found dead the next day.
According to a report released Tuesday by the Minnesota Health Department, a finding of neglect was made against Evensong Manor in the death of Virginia Glauber, 72, whose body was found face down in the water on July 14 near 63rd Avenue and Cavell Court N.
Glauber, who had lived in Minneapolis and was suffering from schizophrenia and depression, "would attempt to leave constantly" when first admitted and was supposed to have 24-hour supervision, according to the report.
However, Evensong's owner told state investigators that these attempts had become more sporadic and that the home's policy allowed for staff to sleep during overnight shifts.
The lone staffer, an unlicensed caregiver, slept on a couch as Glauber left the home between 1 and 7 a.m. July 13, according to the report. Her body was found in the pond later that morning by a mosquito control worker.
Evensong's owner, Mary Jane Chaignot, told investigators that the home would provide round-the-clock supervision whenever Glauber's behavior was "bizarre." At the same time, she said, that type of behavior was "somewhat unpredictable," the report said.
Two state licensing orders were issued against the home involving supervision and the assessment that Glauber was a good fit for a group home setting rather than being institutionalized, Chaignot said. The facility has made the necessary corrections, she said.
Chaignot fought the findings, pointing out that Glauber was outside on a deck for hours reading that afternoon and had been allowed to take walks, at times unsupervised.
Chaignot said the issue of sleeping staff is now moot at the six-bed home because she has stopped accepting residents who require 24-hour supervision.
PAUL WALSH
