Advocating for the Dignity and Welfare of Older Adults
Advocating for the Dignity and Welfare of Older Adults
Our History
Established in 1975, Hawaii’s Long-Term Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) predates the 1979 federal mandate set by Congress, that each state have an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Housed within the Executive Office on Aging (EOA) which is an attached agency to the Hawaii State Department of Health, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) provides services in advocacy, education, and support to residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities statewide.
Hawaii Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
Executive Office on Aging
Hawaii State Department of Health
No. 1 Capitol District
250 South Hotel St. Suite 406
Honolulu, HI 96813-2831
John has been the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman for Hawaii since 1998. He served as the Director of Social Services for several nursing homes on Oahu, co-authored the Surrogate Decision Making Law, and contributed to the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel which worked on improving and replacing that law with the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act.
Originally from Long Island, McDermott came to Hawaii in 1985. He was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (1980) earning a Bachelor’s degree in American Studies and Pre-Law and received his Masters in Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (1985). In 1989, McDermott later received his second Masters in Social Work at the University of Hawaii.
Prior to his involvement with the elderly, McDermott worked for Catholic Charities, Services to Families, and oversaw the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. He was also employed as the live-in counselor for the boys home at Hale Kipa.
