State investigators have concluded that an aide at a Deephaven nursing home sexually assaulted a female resident twice one evening last March while he helped her shower, leaving the woman distraught and feeling "violated," according to a report released Tuesday.
An official of the home, Lake Minnetonka Care Center, disputed the report, challenging the woman's credibility.
The resident, who is in her mid-50s, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and personality disorder.
Investigators also found that the aide, a contract employee with a history of domestic disputes, had known for at least a year that he was "disqualified from patient contact," the report said.
The aide's contractor, Soul Care LLC of Minneapolis, knew of the state prohibition "but continued to schedule him to work at skilled nursing facilities," the report added.
Soul Care administrator Dane McLain acknowledged Tuesday knowing about the restriction on the aide, but said the agency employee who sent him to the nursing home did not know.
McLain said the nursing home had taken legal action against his agency, adding that his insurance company settled with the home for a sum he would not disclose.
Jeff Sprinkel, administrator of the home, disputed the state's findings, calling the resident's allegations "not consistent or plausible," even though investigators said only the aide, not the home, was to blame.