5 things to know about Butler County’s aging population

Here are the five statistics that you need to know about Butler County’s elderly population.

An increasing presence in Butler County

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 382,378 people were living in Butler County as of July 1, 2018. Of that total, 14.7 percent were above the age of 65, which is below the Ohio average of 17.1 percent. In the 2010 Census, that same measure was 11.5 percent when the population was 368,130.

The rise will continue, according to the Scripps Gerontology Center’s Ohio Population Interactive Data Center, which projects that 17.6 percent of Butler County will be 65 or older in 2030. Comparatively, Warren County will have nearly 20 percent of its population 65 or older by that same year.

Butler County has one of the lowest percentages of this measure in the state.

Growing danger of Alzheimer’s

One concern with an aging population is a rise in disease that primarily affect senior citizens. Such is the case with the country’s increasing amount of Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

RELATED: 5 surprising things you didn’t know about Alzheimer’s disease

By 2025, the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures projects a 13.6 percent increase in Ohio cases, up from 220,000 in 2019 to 250,000. Ohio currently has the seventh-most diagnoses in the U.S., trailing behind the leading California, who will have 840,000 cases in 2025.

The increase of Alzheimer’s cases in Ohio is one of the smallest in the country. Arizona will see the most dramatic rise with a 42.9 percent increase in cases from 140,000 to 200,000 by 2025.

Too many beds

Despite a rising senior population, research suggests that there are actually too many nursing homes in Ohio. In 2011, Scripps Gerontology Center projected that there would be a surplus of 5,000 nursing home beds in 2015.

Dr. Robert Applebaum, Director of the Ohio Long-Term Care Research Project at the Scripps Gerontology Center, owes this to a decreasing occupancy rate of nursing homes statewide, dating back to 1993. Occupancy rates were 92 percent then, yet, in 2018, those numbers dropped to 81 percent.

“Even though we have a lot more older people than we did in 1993, nursing home occupancy rates have actually dropped,” said Applebaum. “The reason for that is we have a lot more assisted living options and we have a lot more home care options.”

Applebaum says it is possible that occupancy rates might rise again however as the population ages, yet that no new nursing homes should be built. With the newer options of assisted care and at-home care, patients can still expect the same quality of care as nursing homes.

Lower poverty rates

The 2017 American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, found that 12.9 percent of Butler County was below the poverty level. Yet, only 5.5 percent of those above the age of 65 was below that same measure.

In 2000, 7 percent of Butler County’s 65 and older population was below the poverty level.

Watching for elder abuse

According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), one in 10 Americans above the age of 60 face some form of elder abuse. NCOA defines elder abuse as any type of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, neglect, and abandonment that a senior citizen might face. Only one in 14 of these cases is reported to authorities.

Butler County has taken steps to address this issue, especially in regards to financial exploitation. Scam has occurred in the county, one time swindling a West Chester Township resident out of $250,000.

MORE: Butler County woman’s mother scammed out of $250,000

In response to similar thefts, Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser created the Butler County Crimes Against the Elderly Task Force in 2011. In Feburary, Middletown police Detective Steve Winters and Hamilton police Detective Jon Habig were awarded with the Prosecutor’s Meritorious Service Award for their work resolving two separate scams in 2018.

RELATED: Butler County detectives honored for busting would-be scammers of older residents

How to contact the Butler County Crimes Against the Elderly Task Force: