California is home to one of the first gay senior centers in the country.

Eighty-seven-year-old Wells Bain is the first client at Camellia Assisted Living in Fair Oaks, Calif., the first center in California to cater to gay and lesbian seniors, according to its owner.

The center is open to any older person needing help with daily chores, even straight clients such as Bain. Bain said he sees himself as a tolerant person.

"I was like a kid at 65," he said. "I learned more about the human nature since I was 65 than I did before."

The inspiration behind the center is Ruth Caway, who said she opened her own care home years ago but she wanted to support her lesbian daughter. She said she wanted a place where her daughter and her partner could retire.

"A lot of lesbians when I was raising kids didn't have kids," Caway said. "And now they do. So the ones that are older that didn't have children back then will be looking for some place loving to be."

The assisted living facility is set up more like a bed and breakfast than a traditional senior center. The owners say they have a business model designed to tap into the growing number of elder gays and lesbians needing assistance.

"There's about 3 million elderly gays right now over the age of 65," said Joseph Gsell, one of the owners of the Camellia Assisted Living Center.

The marketing message of the center promotes a place that is alternative lifestyle friendly and open to all seniors regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

On The Web

http://www.camelliaassistedliving.com