COLUMBUS, Ohio - 21 News is continuing to follow the hearings in Columbus about whether the licenses for three group homes that care for the elderly in Howland should be revoked.

In Columbus Wednesday, a family member testified about an incident in which her elderly relative was injured while at Just Like Home II and not taken for treatment until two days later, when the family stepped in.

In a letter from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services proposing to revoke Just Like Home II's license, the department alleged the resident’s family claimed the resident broke her hip, injured a knee and developed a blood clot. 

The department cited in the letter that it received information alleging the resident said a staff member pushed her down.

A family member testified Wednesday that the resident has dementia, did not remember what happened and the facility reported to the family two days later that she fell.

The family was concerned about the time that had passed before they were notified by the home. 

The incident allegedly happened on Saturday January 21, 2017, and the family was told about it on Monday January 23, 2017.

"Did that bother you or trouble you?" asked Roger Carroll, Principal Assistant Ohio Attorney General in Health and Human Services, who is representing the state's case.

"Of course it did because we knew she was probably in pain," answered the family member.

The family member went to check on the relative after being notified and called an ambulance on that Monday. She said that the resident was hospitalized for seven to 10 days, taken to a nursing home for therapy and went back to Just Like Home II.

"Did you have any concerns about her being abused which may have caused her injury," questioned owner Eugenia Mihas' attorney Thomas Hess.

"Not whatsoever," she said.

"Why is that," Hess asked.

"Because she has had great care there ever since she's been there, and it's the best place she's ever been," she replied.

Regarding alleged staffing violations, owner Eugenia Mihas' daughter Marian Mihas testified she did cover Just Like Home I on a February 2017 night in question but did not sign in.

As Hess explained on Tuesday, a family member testified on Wednesday about his relative not having access to prescribed narcotic pain medication for 17 days at Just Like Home III while Mihas took the key out of the country.

A family member of the resident said that he was concerned when he found out his relative did not have access to the medication but he said that she ended up not needing it because a different medication started working out better.  

For the state Wednesday, Janel Pequignot, Chief of Licensure and Certification for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services claimed the department has tried to work with the facilities to correct issues such as not providing first aid training before staff start working there, not conducting background checks, and administering medication, yet the alleged problems have continued or reappeared.