David Brown and Anne are two patients in the Adult Day Care Program at Mercy Hospitals. David Brown is seventy-two years old. He's friendly and likes to talk. He lives with his wife in the city. But David is becoming forgetful. His wife says, "He'll heat up some soup, then forget to turn off the gas." She is sixty-one and still works. She is worried about leaving her husband alone. Anne is eighty and lives with her 60-year-old daughter. Her daughter says that she needs a rest. "Mom follows me everywhere. She follows me when I read newspapers. I need a rest and she does, too." And so, several times a week, David and Anne's families take them to the Adult Day Care Center. Many hospitals have this program. Patients come to the Center for a full or half day, from one to five days a week. All the patients live with their families and most are old people. Mrs. Carol Johnson is the director of the Center. She says, "We are offering both the patients and their families a service of great value. Patients have the chance to get out of their houses. Husbands, wives or grown children can work or have a rest. Most important of all, families are able to stay together." Why did David Brown become a patient of the Adult Day Care Center?
Because he is seventy-two years old. Because he is lonely at home. Because he is becoming forgetful. Because he is seriously ill.