NEW YORK (AP) – Like the baby-boom population at large, gay and lesbian New Yorkers over 50 years old are heavily involved in the care of sick or frail family members – and are often expected to shoulder more of the work, a new study says.

It concludes that such caregivers are handicapped by policies that discriminate against same-sex relationships.

“Despite the fact that they are taking care of parents, children, partners and siblings in need, LGBT caregivers are not provided with the same social, emotional or financial support afforded to other caregivers,” the study said.

The report, called “Caregiving Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender New Yorkers,” was released by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. It was based on a survey of 341 New Yorkers over 50 from those categories. The research was done by the institute, the Pride Senior Network and the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University.

Because the sample was not random and was limited to New Yorkers, the findings may not apply to the gay and lesbian population in general, the authors cautioned. But they called it “an important first step in learning more about the social networks and caregiving experiences of LGBT elders.”

The study found that 46 percent of those surveyed have been caregivers at some time in the past five years, compared to 44 percent among all people over 50. It defined caregiving as “the extensive, time-consuming aid needed by people who are so sick or frail that they require hands-on help with the tasks of daily living.”

“Far from shying away from family responsibilities, this study shows that gay people are equally if not more devoted to family members and loved ones in need,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the task force.

Many of the gay and lesbian caretakers’ experiences matched the general population, but one-third reported that family members expected them to do more of the care of older relatives “precisely because they were gay.” The study said this stemmed from the perception, often false, that they had fewer of their own family responsibilities.

As with the general population, gays and lesbians administered care to both their blood relatives and their partners, where more discrimination came into play, the study said. It found that many programs supporting caregivers, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, Social Security and Medicaid, discriminate against same-sex partners.

“Policies that embrace wide definitions of family and caregiving and recognize same-sex relationships would help to ease the burdens and strains of caregiving,” the conclusion said.