10 reasons to support the Butler County Senior Services Levy
1: It helps seniors remain independent in their homes.
As we age, most of us want to stay in our own homes, even if we need help. Home means independence, privacy, dignity, and connection to our loved ones. In-home care is much cheaper than a nursing home, but it’s still beyond the means of many. That’s where the levy helps. It supports the Butler County Elderly Services Program (ESP). Through services such as home-delivered meals, homemaking help and transportation, Butler County ESP makes it possible for more than 4,100 seniors to remain in their homes with independence and dignity.
2: It will not raise your taxes.
The levy is a renewal of the 2015 levy. That means taxes will not increase, and homeowners will continue to pay $39.81 per year per $100,000 of property valuation - the same amount they pay now.
3: It helps older adults while saving taxpayers money.
It costs an average $295 per month to help a senior on the Elderly Services Program. If that same person were in a nursing home on Medicaid, it would cost taxpayers 20 times that much – more than $6,000 a month.
4: It benefits the entire community.
Beyond older adults, the Butler County ESP supports caregivers struggling to juggle the responsibilities of family, career and elder caregiving. ESP provides supplemental care that enables family caregivers to continue working, which is good for business and our economy; it helps working families keep mom and dad at home; it helps long-married spouses care for each other and stay together; and for those seniors who have no family nearby, it makes a difference in quality of life.
5: It’s for your friends, neighbors and family.
In their day, they were secretaries, construction workers, farmers, and business owners – the backbone of our community. They served our country and built our towns. The typical ESP client is a woman in her 80s, living alone on a modest income. She has health problems, doesn’t drive, and needs help with housework and meals. But she doesn’t need a nursing home.
6: Butler County ESP is well managed and mission-driven.
Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA) manages the program via a contract with county commissioners. COA is a non-profit organization designated as the Area Agency on Aging for Butler County and four other counties in southwestern Ohio. COA's mission is to enhance people’s lives with services that help them to remain independent at home. COA brings in federal funds which help support ESP and other services for Butler County seniors.
A volunteer organization, Butler County Citizens for Elderly Services, advises the program. LifeSpan Community First Solutions, a longstanding Butler County social services organization, provides screening and care management for ESP clients. Providers deliver the services, such as homemaking, meals and transportation, via contracts with COA.
7: Butler County ESP delivers the right services at the right times.
Professional care managers create a plan for each client and arrange and coordinate services. Depending on client needs, these may include adult day care, emergency response, home-delivered meals, home-modification (e.g. wheelchair ramp), home care assistance, medical equipment, transportation, mental health services, and more. To be eligible, clients must live in Butler County, be age 65 or older, and be unable to perform certain daily activities without help. Some clients are able to help pay for their care and services can be adjusted as a client’s needs change.
8: The need is real.
Enrollment in ESP is growing. In 2019, the program served 101 more older adults than in 2018. According to Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, Butler County’s proportion of residents age 65+ will increase from 11.5 percent in 2010 to 17.6 percent in 2030. And, 70 percent of residents age 65+ have functional difficulties which may require them to receive help in order to live independently. Nearly 1 in 4 have income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($25,520 in 2020 for a family of one). The combination of age, functional disability and poverty are indicators that community support is needed if older adults are to have the option to live independently in their homes.
9: Without the levy, the program would end.
And, there is no other local program that could fill in. The levy provides about 91 percent of the funding for Butler County ESP. Other funding comes from federal and state sources (via Council on Aging), client donations and co-payments.
10: Butler County cares about its older residents.
Voters have supported the Senior Services Levy for nearly 25 years. They understand the value of the Elderly Services Program for the older adults and families of today and for those who will need it in the future.
Data Sources:
Butler County Elderly Services Program 2019 Annual Report
Scripps Gerontology Center Projections and Characteristics of the 65+ Population in Butler County - July 2019
Scripps Gerontology Center County Level Older Population Projections
As we age, most of us want to stay in our own homes, even if we need help. Home means independence, privacy, dignity, and connection to our loved ones. In-home care is much cheaper than a nursing home, but it’s still beyond the means of many. That’s where the levy helps. It supports the Butler County Elderly Services Program (ESP). Through services such as home-delivered meals, homemaking help and transportation, Butler County ESP makes it possible for more than 4,100 seniors to remain in their homes with independence and dignity.
2: It will not raise your taxes.
The levy is a renewal of the 2015 levy. That means taxes will not increase, and homeowners will continue to pay $39.81 per year per $100,000 of property valuation - the same amount they pay now.
3: It helps older adults while saving taxpayers money.
It costs an average $295 per month to help a senior on the Elderly Services Program. If that same person were in a nursing home on Medicaid, it would cost taxpayers 20 times that much – more than $6,000 a month.
4: It benefits the entire community.
Beyond older adults, the Butler County ESP supports caregivers struggling to juggle the responsibilities of family, career and elder caregiving. ESP provides supplemental care that enables family caregivers to continue working, which is good for business and our economy; it helps working families keep mom and dad at home; it helps long-married spouses care for each other and stay together; and for those seniors who have no family nearby, it makes a difference in quality of life.
5: It’s for your friends, neighbors and family.
In their day, they were secretaries, construction workers, farmers, and business owners – the backbone of our community. They served our country and built our towns. The typical ESP client is a woman in her 80s, living alone on a modest income. She has health problems, doesn’t drive, and needs help with housework and meals. But she doesn’t need a nursing home.
6: Butler County ESP is well managed and mission-driven.
Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA) manages the program via a contract with county commissioners. COA is a non-profit organization designated as the Area Agency on Aging for Butler County and four other counties in southwestern Ohio. COA's mission is to enhance people’s lives with services that help them to remain independent at home. COA brings in federal funds which help support ESP and other services for Butler County seniors.
A volunteer organization, Butler County Citizens for Elderly Services, advises the program. LifeSpan Community First Solutions, a longstanding Butler County social services organization, provides screening and care management for ESP clients. Providers deliver the services, such as homemaking, meals and transportation, via contracts with COA.
7: Butler County ESP delivers the right services at the right times.
Professional care managers create a plan for each client and arrange and coordinate services. Depending on client needs, these may include adult day care, emergency response, home-delivered meals, home-modification (e.g. wheelchair ramp), home care assistance, medical equipment, transportation, mental health services, and more. To be eligible, clients must live in Butler County, be age 65 or older, and be unable to perform certain daily activities without help. Some clients are able to help pay for their care and services can be adjusted as a client’s needs change.
8: The need is real.
Enrollment in ESP is growing. In 2019, the program served 101 more older adults than in 2018. According to Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, Butler County’s proportion of residents age 65+ will increase from 11.5 percent in 2010 to 17.6 percent in 2030. And, 70 percent of residents age 65+ have functional difficulties which may require them to receive help in order to live independently. Nearly 1 in 4 have income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($25,520 in 2020 for a family of one). The combination of age, functional disability and poverty are indicators that community support is needed if older adults are to have the option to live independently in their homes.
9: Without the levy, the program would end.
And, there is no other local program that could fill in. The levy provides about 91 percent of the funding for Butler County ESP. Other funding comes from federal and state sources (via Council on Aging), client donations and co-payments.
10: Butler County cares about its older residents.
Voters have supported the Senior Services Levy for nearly 25 years. They understand the value of the Elderly Services Program for the older adults and families of today and for those who will need it in the future.
Data Sources:
Butler County Elderly Services Program 2019 Annual Report
Scripps Gerontology Center Projections and Characteristics of the 65+ Population in Butler County - July 2019
Scripps Gerontology Center County Level Older Population Projections