SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

State budget cuts have led to about 80 disabled seniors finding themselves on a waiting list to get into the home care program in the Greater Attleboro, Fall River and Taunton areas.

The program, provided by Bristol Elder Services, was cut $6.8 million.

"We took the largest cut in 18 years," said Nancy Munson, the chief executive officer for Bristol Elder Services.

About $101 million is spent in Massachusetts on home care services, which helps 33,400 seniors each month with basic daily needs, such as eating, bathing, and dressing. The typical senior in the home care program is a woman in her mid-80s who lives alone, according to Bristol Elder Services.

"We have at least 10,000 seniors in home care today who would otherwise be in nursing homes," Munson said. "Cutting home care makes nursing homes the care of first resort. This is not what seniors want, and it's not what the taxpayers should want."

Munson said that unless the governor's budget for the upcoming fiscal year reverses the losses to home care, the fiscal year starting in July will be worse than the final six months of this fiscal year.