After our father passed away, our mother lived alone in the large house our family grew up in. We, her four adult children, (now scattered across the bay area), visited her when we could. Gradually her long-time friends either moved away, passed away or developed health problems. Mom usually ate by herself, watched TV alone, and read newspapers and magazines to pass the time away.Whenever anyone brought up the idea of moving Mom into a smaller, assisted-living home for seniors, she vehemently insisted that she wanted to live the rest of her life in the house she raised her family in. Then Mom had her stroke.While she could still get around physically with the aid of a walker, it became too difficult for her to prepare meals, or to handle the TV remote control. Because the stroke damaged her short-term memory, she had trouble reading and talking on the telephone.My sister and I, who live closest to Mom, became her daily caregivers. Although we both work days, we took turns stopping by before and after work to see to it that mom got bathed and dressed, ate breakfast, and that a prepared lunch was left in the refrigerator. One of us would come back in the evening to fix dinner and do general housework and upkeep.This system more or less worked, but we were very concerned about the ten hour gap in the middle of the day when Mom was by herself. Sometimes we would call and she couldn't hear the phone, or could not get to it. Twice she had falls in the kitchen (she couldn't remember how), and was unable to get up until one of us found her in the evening. It was clear to us that Mom was deteriorating physically and mentally.We had to do something. We tried several in-home daycare services and were disappointed by the quality of care. So we interviewed several senior daycare facilities around the South Bay, until we discovered SarahCare of Campbell. The environment and services they offer were just what Mom needed.Their staff provides the warm, friendly supervision during the day that we cannot. Mom enjoys the company of other people. Just being around other people talking and laughing (whether or not she can follow the conversation) gives her a sense of fellowship. The staff are always gentle and patient with the guests.At lunch time they prepare a tasty meal, and later provide an afternoon snack. Mom also participates in the daily exercise programs. They present live music shows once or twice a week, and play a variety of recorded music daily on an excellent sound system.Mom has always been a music lover, especially Big Band and Swing music. Sometimes when we pick her up, she gets into the car still humming a song she heard that day.Since we began bringing Mom to SarahCare, she's become more alert and active, and she's a happier person. We seem to have gained the best of both worlds for Mom: She gets to sleep in her own bed at night, and we can go to work without worrying about Mom's well being during the day. Thank you SarahCare of Campbell.