Care without judgment: Fla. day center will focus on gay seniors. (Newsfronts).

ELDERLY GAY MEN AND LESBIANS IN Broward County, Fla., may soon have an adult day center tailored specifically to their community. The proposed center, which will he open to all seniors regardless of sexual orientation, is said to be the first federally funded "gay-friendly" adult day program.

The Noble McArtor Senior Day Care Center will be housed on the grounds of the Sunshine Cathedral, a predominantly gay church in Fort Lauderdale. The Rev. Grant Lynn Ford, pastor of the church, says the center initially will be licensed to serve 30 seniors and is expected to open later this year.

"This center will be primarily set up as a respite for the caregiver, so that the elder gets not only the care he or she needs but mental stimulation as well," Ford says. Here, a caregiver might be someone's companion of 40 years or a gay son or daughter seeking day services for an elderly parent. In any case, says Ford, the center will provide "care without judgment."

Services will be similar to those offered at other adult day centers: nutritious meals, health care services, and the opportunity to join in a card game, explore the Internet, or schmooze with friends. The defining difference will be a sense of belonging and acceptance for gay seniors who came of age during a time when "out of the closet" was out of the question.

According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, gay people may have particular care needs as they age. They are less likely to have children than their heterosexual counterparts and they may be estranged from their families of origin. The Task Force also reports that relatively few lesbian and gay seniors have had any involvement with their local senior centers, perhaps due to a fear that they would be unwelcome.

Belonging versus backlash

Edith Lederberg, director of the Broward County Area Agency on Aging, says the McArtor Center will serve a vital need for Broward's gay and lesbian community.

"These seniors will be in an atmosphere with other people like them, who have the same beliefs, the same way of life--that's the main concept behind this," says Lederberg, adding that gay seniors who have attended other day centers said they felt "very uncomfortable, like they didn't belong at all."

Broward's Area Agency on Aging has agreed to give the center $200,000 from federal funds designated for relieving family caregivers. Several adult day care centers in the area already receive federal money.

Federal funding for a project focusing on the gay community has drawn objections from some Broward County residents. Janet Folger, director of a Fort Lauderdale-based Christian ministry called Reclaiming America, has been quoted as saying that "This is nothing short of state-sponsored discrimination. It's about forcing the taxpayer to subsidize homosexuality."

Lederberg is confident that such backlash will not derail plans for the senior center, adding that the project falls within the guidelines of the Older Americans Act. And, because the center will be on church grounds, its proponents say that it follows the principle of faith-based social services outlined by the Bush administration.

"This will be a pioneer effort on our part," says Lederberg. "We hope other parts of the country will follow through."