|
For four lonely years， Evelyn Jones of Rockford， Illinois， lived friendless and forgotten in one room of a cheap hotel. I wasnt sick， but I was acting sick， the 78-year-old widow says. Every day was the sameI would just lie on my bed and maybe cook up some soup. Then， six months ago， she was invited to The Brighter SideRockfords day care center for the elderly. Every weekday morning since then， she has left her home to meet nine other old people in a church for a rich program of charity work， trips， games， andmost important of allfriendly companionship. Just a few years ago， there were few choices for the elderly between a normal life in their own homes and being totally confined in nursing homes. Many of them were sent to rest homes long before they needed full-time care. Others like Mrs. Jones， were left to take care of themselves. But in 1971， the White House Conference on Aging called for the development of alternatives to care in nursing homes for old people， and since then， government-supported day-care programs like The Brighter Side have been developed in most big American cities. This represents a real alternative to the feared institution and makes old people believe they have not left the world of living， says Alice Brophy， 64， director of New York Citys Office for the Aging. They do well at the centers， and I hate it when people describe us as elderly playpens. New Yorks 138 centers encourage continuing contact for the aged with the communitys life. The centers serve more than 15，000 members， and volunteer workers are always looking for new ones. If someone doesnt show up at the center for several days in a row， a worker at the center calls to make sure all is well. And although participation in the center is free， those who want to can pay for their lunches. | 
