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HAMILTON — It was time to eat. And like most waking hours, the house was filled with spontaneous laughter.

This is where Gloria Silas, Candy Shoopman, Janet Herr and now Seneca Botos work. It was Botos' second day on the job.

They work for Opportunities to Succeed, one of many companies contracted by Butler County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to provide direct support.

The four help take care of Becky Hughes, Katherine Kramer, Natasha Simpson and Sodonia Vaughn, all MRDD clients.

Starting shortly after 3 p.m., the residents started trickling in from a day at work or at local activity centers.

The four have differing levels of independence. Kramer has trouble swallowing and needs her food mashed up. Vaughn lives in a basement apartment and is mostly self-sufficient.

In the middle is Simpson. At age 20, Herr calls her their "doll baby." For brief moments, she'll stare off into space and an apparent thoughtful lucidity will enter her eyes. She can feed herself but speaks few words.

"She's come a long, long way," Herr said, vaguely relaying that Simpson was an emergency placement.

Botos looked on as the other caregivers heated up chicken, potato salad and beans. They plated it and mashed it for some of the residents.

Botos' first day by herself would be Friday. She was a little nervous but said she felt up to the task. She had worked at a Kohl's warehouse previously and "wanted to try something different."

Turnover is a big problem in the MRDD field, Silas said. The job requires little formal training, and so starts at roughly $8 an hour. And it can be demanding.

Though some MRDD clients are very personable, many can't talk. They can't tell you why they are acting up; if they are in discomfort or pain. The job requires patience as some clients scream or even occasionally get violent.

It isn't simply about showing up to work and doing your shift. You have to care. You have to find the humanity in yourself and the clients, Silas said.

"It isn't no different from you or I getting to know or forming relationships with new people," Herr said. "They're smarter than a lot of people are. It's like if you could take a key and turn it, they would be all right."

She said it can be intimidating.

"I didn't think that I had

the temperament for it,"

Herr said, but her mind changed when she saw how much the clients needed her. "Even if you've never been in this line of work before, (if) you have heart, you're hooked."

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.