A care crisis has hit Butler County's most vulnerable population, and there is no resolution in sight.

Beth Herold, director of the county Area Agency on Aging, said a worker shortage at the agencies contracted by the county to provide bathing, meal preparation, cleaning, shopping and other services for low-income county residents over 60 years old is having devastating effects on many low-income residents in the county's senior citizen high-rise apartment buildings and in their homes.

“Those services are really essential to keep them in their current living environment,” Herold said.

She told the county commissioners at their Wednesday meeting that there are 70 seniors in the 16001 and 16002 ZIP codes who are not receiving the vital services they need due to staffing shortages among the nearly one dozen companies that contract with the county.

Herold also said there are precious few care homes in the county that accept low-income clients, so she and her staff find themselves calling 50 to 60 long-term care homes all over the region, and even out of state, for placement of one individual.

“I think it's important that the public is aware of the pending crisis,” said Leslie Osche, commissioners chairwoman.

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