Mr. John G. McDermott

Mr. John G. McDermott, the state's Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman, has packed a lot of achievements and experiences into his years thus far.He has served as LTC Ombudsman since 1998.His previous positions include Director of Social Services at two local nursing centers; practicum instructor and guest lecturer for several Hawaii universities and community colleges; and co-author of the "Surrogate Decision Making Law," related to advance directives for health care.He has served as assistant chaplain on San Quentin's "Death Row," worked with Samoan and Filipino gangs in Kalihi and Waipahu, and with youth at risk at the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center.He has a B.A. in American Studies and Master's degrees in Social Work and Divinity.Mr. McDermott has been involved in numerous professional and community organizations including serving a stint as president of the Long-Term Care Social Workers Association for Hawaii.

"The Office of the Long Term-Care Ombudsman [LTCO] is one of several programs administered by the state's Executive Office on Aging [EOA]," he explained while arranging piles of brochures and pamphlets on the table.The pamphlets describe EOA programs, which include SagePLUS, SageWatch, the Caregivers' Resource Initiatives Project, and other programs that address elder abuse response, home and community services, caregiving support, and elder law.

The LTCO program, established by federal and state statutes, advocates for and protects the rights of residents of nursing homes, adult residential care homes, assisted living faciities, and other long term care facilities.Staff members arrive unannounced to visit residents and assess living situations.The program also provides referral assistance and informational opportunities to increase community awareness of elder rights."Residents living in long-term care facilities have the right to privacy and the right to voice complaints," states McDermott.

John McDermott receives a lei from Linda Hirano.
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"We hope the word will spread and that more volunteers will come forward," McDermott expressed.Members nodded in agreement with the need for unannounced visits to check on the well-being of residents.

John McDermott explained that the small number of staff at LTCO makes it impossible to visit all the residents without the help of their unpaid advocates.