The Brief
- Assisted living facilities in Minnesota and throughout the country have implemented ‘no touch’ or ‘no lift’ policies which direct staff to call 911 and to not move or touch a fallen resident.
- The FOX 9 Investigators found a ‘no touch’ policy led to the slow death of a 79-year-old resident at a Golden Valley facility.
- Communities in Minnesota and across the region have adopted ordinances to impose fees on facilities for excessive non-emergency ‘lift assist calls.’ Some states are pushing legislation to address the issue.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Senior living facilities are repeatedly calling 911 after refusing to pick up fallen elderly residents throughout Minnesota and across the country.
The ‘no touch’ or ‘no lift’ policies are raising concerns about both resident safety and the strain it places on first responders, according to interviews, dispatch data, state health records and public testimony reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.
‘No touch’ policy instructed staff not to touch fallen resident
The FOX 9 Investigators previously revealed that Meadow Ridge Senior Living in Golden Valley had an “erroneous” ‘no touch’ policy that instructed staff to call 911 and to not touch a fallen resident, according to a Minnesota Department of Health maltreatment report.
The facility’s policy was blamed, in part, for the death of Larry Thompson. …