
                   Masonic Homes for the Aging:
                   THE SPIRIT OF BROTHERLY LOVE

                       SHELDON L. GOLDBERG 
      President, American Association of Homes for the Aging 
     901 E Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20004-2837 


   As president of the American Association of Homes for the 
Aging, I have witnessed the Masons' dedication to older Americans 
through my experience with Masonic homes and services for the 
aging. 

   THE ORDER OF Masons, founded on the concept of Brotherly love, 
has long been champion to people with special needs. Through the 
years, needy children, burn victims, the frail elderly, and many 
others have received the assistance and quality care that remain 
pivotal to longstanding Masonic tradition. 

  As president of the American Association of Homes for the Aging 
(AAHA), I have witnessed the Masons' dedication to older 
Americans through my experience with Masonic homes and services 
for the aging. 

  With our country's burgeoning elderly population has come an 
ever-increasing need for senior housing and healthcare services. 
Through the nonprofit approach, Masonic homes have been able to 
provide those much-needed services to elderly Masons and their 
families in a loving, dedicated way, without expecting anything 
in return. It is the ultimate form of giving - never seeking 
profit - to help those who, by virtue of age or ill health, find 
themselves in need of specialized housing and services in their 
retirement years. 

   Because there are so many older Americans to be served, many 
for-profit companies have recently entered the field of care for 
the elderly. But the nonprofit movement, from its earliest days, 
was built on the idea of responsiveness to people - for the 
duration of their need, not just while there was money to be 
made. Businesses may come and go, but brotherhood is enduring. 

  At the American Association of Homes for the Aging, the spirit 
of service in the nonprofit tradition is fully alive. AAHA is the 
national organization of nonprofit senior housing facilities, 
retirement communities, and nursing homes throughout the United 
States. The 58 Masonic and Eastern Star homes in this country 
currently serve thousands of men and women over age 65. Many of 
these facilities are members of AAHA. 

   AAHA has witnessed Masonic leadership in elder-care firsthand; 
the association's elected senior leaders from 1986-1990 were 
Masons. From 1986-1988, Edgar G. Kilby, president and CEO of the 
Masonic Charity Foundation of Connecticut, now retired, served as 
AAHA's chairman of the board. From 1988-1990, Donald L. Gilmore, 
Mr. Kilby's successor at the Masonic Charity Foundation, served 
as AAHA's chairman. 

   The foundation sponsors the Masonic Home and Hospital of 
Wallingford, Connecticut, one of the nation's premier aging 
organizations and an AAHA member. Under the direction of these 
two caring leaders, AAHA made enormous advances in providing for 
the housing and healthcare needs of older Americans. 

   Despite progress in care of the aged in recent years, great 
challenges lie ahead. Budget deficits at state and federal levels 
threaten public and private organiza tions' ability to fund 
necessary services for an ever-growing needy constituency. Masons 
and other nonprofit organizations are helping shoulder the public 
burden of care in a time of shrinking public resources. 

  Still, nonprofits cannot do it all, and we must encourage 
government to continue to live up to its responsibilities to 
citizens. The public obligation would be much greater, however, 
without the commitment of this nation's Masonic organizations and 
other nonprofit sponsors of senior housing and healthcare. 

  As the nation's population grows older, the number of Masons 
reaching retirement age is steadily increasing. In fact, the 
average age of Masonic members is 65 years old. Soon, the number 
of retired Masons, their wives and widows, searching for housing 
and long-term care, will reach an all-time high. 

  In order to sustain the tradition of service, compassion and 
quality care at Masonic homes, we must prepare now. To continue 
this centuries-old tradition, we need to encourage young men to 
join in the Brotherhood today and carry it into tomorrow. Young, 
committed members will be crucial to the Fraternity's ongoing 
mission. By combining the experience and wisdom of our most 
senior Brothers with the vitality of the succeeding generations, 
service can continue for years to come. 

   These challenges, although lofty, are not insurmountable. 
Numerous Masonic homes for the elderly prove that Freemasonry has 
succeeded in maintaining a strong moral base of neighborly 
concern. I commend this outstanding service and encourage Masons 
to continue their tradition of care for the aging. 
 _____ 

Sheldon L. Goldberg is president of the 3,500-member American 
Association of Homes for the Aging headquartered in Washington, 
D.C., with regional offices in Albany, New York, Chicago, and 
Denver. 

