Elder-protection bills now law

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed into law two bills designed to protect Hawai'i's elderly citizens and punish those who abuse and neglect them.

One bill would allow state officials to make unannounced inspections of adult residential care homes. The other gives the state Attorney General's office more power to prosecute people who abuse the elderly.

Lingle said the inspection bill strikes a balance between the concerns of care providers "and the desire to make sure that no one is mistreated."

The local organization of care-home operators initially opposed the proposal. But Ron Gallegos, president of the Alliance of Residential Care Administrators, said he came to believe in the bill because of "true collaboration" between lawmakers and others concerned about the elderly.

Lingle credited the news media with bringing the subject before the public. "I'm not certain this would have reached this stage if it hadn't been for the media's clear focus on this issue," she said.

Greg Marchildon, state director of senior advocate AARP Hawai'i, called it a key victory for consumers.

"People were dying in these care homes," Marchildon said. "This is a law that will really keep the industry on their toes."

Gallegos said Hawai'i's rapidly aging population will fuel a demand for adult residential care homes in coming years.

Lingle also signed bills to:

• Provide the same kind of health coverage for mental as for physical illnesses.
• Allow emergency medical technicians to retire after 25 years of service, as can other first responders such as firefighters and police.