Seniors' Care

Older gay and lesbian Canadians face discrimination in long-term care facilities

Posted on Sat, Jun 28, 2014 - 12:00am

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For 85-year-old Alf Roberts, Canada's largest gay pride festival is a chance to celebrate an identity he only felt comfortable sharing in his old age.

“At last, after all these years I don't have to be careful when people ask me if I'm gay,” Roberts said. “I just say yes, I am.”

Roberts came out when he was 80, shortly after moving into Fudger House, a long-term care facility for seniors in Toronto.

“I was a church organist for years and a music teacher, and you are very careful in those positions,” he said. “You don't want everybody to know.”

United Way shortfall cuts off funding to 31 seniors groups

Posted on Thu, Apr 10, 2014 - 2:00pm

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Seniors' Care

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Photograph by: Vincenzo D'Alto , The Gazette

Thirty-one seniors’ organizations funded by the United Way of the Lower Mainland have been told their funding will not be renewed once their contracts expire, leaving seniors who are dependent on the programs out in the cold.

The contracts are worth a total of $1.65 million and expire either this year or next.

“All our grants will be fulfilled so there’s no actual cuts being made,” United Way president and CEO Michael McKnight said Friday.

“Some of the grants we make to organizations weren’t renewed. That happens on a regular basis.”