"This county is growing older. We're definitely seeing an aging population," said Bob Logan, CEO of the Cincinnati-based Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, which oversees services in Butler, Hamilton, Warren, Clermont and Clinton counties.

In two years, the waiting list for in-home services - ranging from meals to cleaning, laundry, medical transportation or adult day care - has jumped from 70 to 560, Logan said.

The Elderly Services Program now helps 2,346 county residents who want to stay in their homes instead of moving into a nursing home, he said. But no more can be added without more funding, he said.

"Our doors are closed," he said.

The typical person on the waiting list is an 80-year-old woman with an income of $11,500, and medical expenses of $3,500, he said. "That leaves only $8,000 to pay for rent, food and utilities, and there's not much left for home care," Logan said.

He told Butler County commissioners Monday the Elderly Services Program may have to seek another tax levy next year. The current five-year, 1.3-mill tax - which expires in 2006 - generates about $8.8 million annually, he said. It costs the owner of a $100,000 house $39.81 a year.

The agency spends about $330 per month per person for home services, while nursing home care costs more than 10 times that much, he says.

"People definitely want to stay in their own home," Logan said. "With a little bit of help, people can maintain themselves in their community longer."

Commissioner Michael A. Fox recommended that Logan's organization soon start "policy, strategic and political" discussions with county residents. Logan plans a series of public hearings in the county starting in November.

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E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com