ESP clients
In 2010, 3,933 clients served in Butler County. The following is a list of county communities that had at least 100 Elderly Services Program clients as of Dec. 31:
Middletown – 1,112
Hamilton – 1,047
Fairfield – 410
West Chester Twp. – 289
Fairfield Twp. – 166
Trenton – 149
Source: Butler County Elderly Services Program
HAMILTON — While the number of clients served by the Butler County Elderly Services Program has leveled off in recent years, the number won’t remain static, the program’s spokeswoman said.
“We were experiencing high growth with clients served, but that’s leveled out. We’re not sure exactly why,” said Laurie Petrie, spokeswoman for the Elderly Services Program. “But with the coming needs of (baby) boomers, that need is eventually going to grow.”
Between 2008 and 2010, the number of clients served by the program averaged 3,921. Last year, 3,933 were served.
The 2010 annual report of the Butler County Elderly Services Program, released this week, indicates that 14 percent of the county’s residents are age 60 and older.
According to the report, the Scripps Center for Gerontology projects that the county’s older adult population will increase by 74 percent within the next decade.
“Most older adults will be relatively healthy well into their 70s and many, well beyond that,” according to the report.
The future is why it was important that county voters passed the Elderly Services Program levy in November, Petrie said.
The levy provides 90 percent of the program’s funding. Without the levy, the program doesn’t exist, she said.
“We are extremely grateful for the taxpayers for that. The levy passed by nearly 66 percent of the vote,” Petrie said. “At a time there’s hardship in the district, and other levies went down, people still came out and voted for this levy. They understand the value of this program, they want seniors to stay in their home and they’re getting a good value.”
The goal of the program is to allow the elderly to live at home longer, and 61 percent of clients who leave the program do so because they move into a nursing home, their health is poor enough to qualify them for Ohio’s PASSPORT program or they die.
The typical client is an 81-year-old disabled woman who lives alone whose annual income is about $19,172, according to the program’s annual report.
That typical client’s out-of-pocket medical expenses add up to $3,054 a year, according to the report.
Contact this reporter at (513)
820-2175
or
mpitman
@coxohio.com.
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