America has always been a very mobile society of working women and busy homes. It favors a youth culture which caters to the youthful energy of people in their prime. Consequently, those who live at the extreme spectrums of society may
be looked upon as a burden and find themselves placed in the care of day nurseries or homes for the aged.

At one end of the spectrum we have the young. After having a child a woman may want to return to work to help supplement the family income. Working women often do not have the convenience of an extended family where the mother-in-law can take care of young children until their mother returns from the office or workplace. As a result pre-school children are often placed in day care centers where they are supervised by trained adults and engaged in a variety of planned activities, arts and crafts and games. While in these centers they are socialized to get along with others their own age and to express themselves creatively through art and music. While busy at work the mother is relieved that her child is in the good, supervised care of professional adults. When the mother returns from work she picks up her child and take him home.

At the other end of the age spectrum are the elderly who also need special and professional care. As the life span if individuals increases in industrialized countries,
people now can live well into their eighth decade. Unfortunately, they often find that they can no longer take care of themselves. Some of these elderly people have no children or surviving spouse. They may be alone and have no family of their own to care for them. In many cases the family of the aged, for a variety of reasons may no longer be able to provide them with the special and professional attention they need.

Consequently, senior citizen homes have developed to serve as centers where the older members of society can spend their declining years in relative comfort while being cared for by people especially trained to deal with the unique problems of the aged.

There is, however, a difference between a senior citizen's residence and a nursing home which goes beyond a mere euphemism. In a senior citizen's residence an elderly person may still be able to walk, speak intelligently and socialize. However, they may suffer from the ailments of the elderly which hinder their full capacity to be independent and mobile.
In a nursing home the occupant may be totally at the mercy of the kindness of the staff. They may not be able to feed themselves and may be confined to a wheelchair. In extreme situations they may not be able to recognize those they love.