A case of abuse involving a staff member and a vulnerable resident at Harmony Place Assisted Living has been substantiated by the Minnesota Department of Health. The findings follow an investigation into a months-long sexual relationship that occurred while the resident was receiving services at the facility.
According to a report released January 30, 2025, by the Office of Health Facility Complaints, both the staff member – referred to as the alleged perpetrator (AP) – and the resident admitted to having a sexual relationship. The conduct took place while the resident was living at the facility and receiving regular assistance with daily tasks.
Those services included medication administration, bathing reminders, housekeeping, safety checks, and meals. The resident had been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and type 2 diabetes, and had previously undergone a below-the-knee amputation. According to the Minnesota Vulnerable Adults Act, he met the criteria for a vulnerable adult at the time the conduct occurred.
Although both parties described the relationship as consensual, investigators determined the conduct met the legal definition of abuse under Minnesota Statutes. State law prohibits sexual contact between facility staff and residents, regardless of mutual agreement, due to the power imbalance and dependent nature of the resident’s care status.
The relationship had been acknowledged by members of the previous management team and was documented in the resident’s care plan as “consented.” A nurse who formerly held a management position said she was aware of the relationship and reported it to corporate and another manager. However, she could not recall whom she reported it to and was unaware whether a formal vulnerable adult report had ever been filed.
Another former manager said she had been told by multiple staff members that the AP was spending long periods of time in the resident’s room during night shifts. She also stated that, while on a leave of absence, the AP was observed with the resident at her home. When confronted, the two admitted to the relationship and submitted signed statements of consent. Following direction from corporate, management added the relationship to the care plan and reassigned the AP to the facility’s memory care unit. Records later showed she continued to work shifts in the assisted living unit where the resident resided.
Service notes showed the resident was granted multiple overnight passes during the relationship, recorded as visits “with a friend.” After the relationship ended, progress notes described increased emotional distress, sadness, and an uptick in the resident’s use of anti-anxiety medication. In one entry, a staff member reported the resident stayed in bed due to anxiety related to the breakup.
The AP told investigators she never viewed the resident as vulnerable, stating they were close in age and both consenting adults. She denied receiving money from him but acknowledged using his funds to buy groceries during a 10-day period when he stayed at her home. She said she believed the relationship had been approved by management.
The resident told investigators that the relationship began as a friendship and later became sexual. He said he gave the AP money for rent and food. He eventually filed a police report after receiving what he described as threatening and harassing text messages from the AP and her husband.
Following a change in ownership, the new management team determined the relationship had been inappropriate. The AP was not rehired after the transition, and the new owners conducted their own internal review. They also provided the Minnesota Department of Health with all records available from the prior administration and fully cooperated with the state investigation.
The Department of Health issued a correction order for failing to uphold the resident’s right to be free from maltreatment, citing a violation of a Minnesota Statute that guarantees residents protection from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as financial exploitation.
The case has been referred to the Nurse Aide Registry and the Minnesota Department of Human Services for possible disciplinary action.