For four lonely years, Evelyn Jones of Rockford, Illinois, lived friendless and forgotten in one room of a cheap hotel. "I wasn't sick, but I was acting sick," the 78-year-old widow says, "Every day was the same. I would just lie on my bed and maybe cook up some soup." Then, six months ago, she was invited to The Brighter Side -- Rockford's 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, and -- most important of all -- friendly 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 City's Office for the Aging, "They do well at the centers, and I hate it when people describe us as elderly playpens ." New York's 138 centers encourage continuing contact for the aged with the community's life. The centers serve more than 15,000 members, and volunteer workers are always looking for new ones. If someone doesn't 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.   No normal studies have been made of these centers for the elderly, but government officials are enthusiastic. In the future, the Public Health Service will do a study to decide if the programs can receive federal Medicare money. And the old people themselves are very happy with the programs. "There is no way", says Evelyn Jones, smiling at her new companions at the Brighter Side, "that I will ever go back to spending my day with all those loses at the hotel." According to the passage, many old people went to the nursing homes because   _  .
They are in urgent need of full-time care. They were rather willing to go there. They were sent there. They were volunteers there.