residence is a home from home for up to six people no longer able to live alone, as well as some who require day care only.

But as owner Mrs. Alice Burch stresses, Shady Rest is not just another repository for elderly folk.

"From the very beginning, I've called it `a home with a difference','' she insists. "Everywhere is so institutional, but not here.'' Sure enough, Mrs. Burch has very few rules and regulations in her well-run operation. The seniors who live there are free to do what they like during the day, and there is no set bed time in the evening.

A house mini-van takes them around to a host of activities, including seniors' clubs get-togethers, musical events and concerts.

From the moment one walks through the door of the deceptively large house, there is a sense that tender loving care is the driving force behind Mrs.

Burch's family-style operation.

Crocheted antimacassars decorate the sofas and chairs, family photos adorn the walls, and silk flower arrangements are dotted everywhere.

All bedrooms face the turquoise sea of Scotts Bay across the street and the tiled bathrooms are purpose-built with the elderly in mind.

Birds can clearly be heard chirping in the nearby trees, and a variety of typical Bermuda flora punctuates the neatly kept grounds.

The serenity of the setting pervades the interior. But then, it always has done.

Back in the 1800s, when it was called Scotts Bay Property, Alice Burch's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Scott, lived in the house.

Even then it had a reputation for friendliness and a warm welcome.

"It was a meeting place for the neighbourhood,'' Mrs. Burch related. "They met here for social gatherings in the winter, and in the summer they came here after swimming to refresh themselves.'' At their death, one of their daughters, Nurse Alice Scott started the Shady Rest Nursing Home on the premises, which she operated for over 40 years.

Growing up in the home, little Alice did her share of the chores and even thought about following in her aunt's footsteps.

As a young adult, however, love intervened, and Alice married and moved to her own home, there to raise six children.

But the instincts of compassion and service to others never left her.

Perhaps best remembered as a traffic warden, Alice spent 14 years of her working life dispensing tickets with charm! By then, the Somerset house had fallen into disrepair, so major renovations were undertaken to fulfill Mrs. Burch's desire to open a day care centre for seniors.

However, when it emerged that the greatest demand was for resident care, the traffic warden hung up her uniform and moved her family from their Southampton residence to what has become the Shady Rest Centre.

Mrs. Burch's life on Church Valley Road had come full circle.

Thus, fifteen years ago in February, Lady Ramsbotham, wife of the then-Governor, cut the ribbon to officially open what had been a lifelong dream.

Since then, the soft-spoken woman who has devoted so much of her life to helping others (the TS Bermuda Sea Cadets is one project, the Shady Rest Sunshine Club, a community service club, another) has offered those in their sunset years a haven of peace and contentment.

"The residents are active and happy, and we are one big family,'' Mrs. Burch said. "They very much appreciate their surroundings.'' The Shady Rest day begins with Mrs. Burch preparing a full breakfast for the residents, which she shares with them. A period of fellowship follows, and includes readings from a book of bible stories, a sing-song, and prayer.

With a staff of three (two of them part-time) to help her, Mrs. Burch then devotes her day to a variety of activities, including keeping a caring eye on her residents.

Her husband and children are also helpful and supportive around the home. And, since this is a family where traditions seem to come full circle, even her grandchildren enjoyed helping with the seniors.

No matter what she does in life, Alice Burch is always happy.

"I was brought up to be positive. There were qualities you had to live by, and I was taught to be happy,'' is how she explains her sunny nature.

In fact, this is what she wrote in 1989 summing up her nature, which she said came about through the teachings of her beloved grandmother, Mrs. Mary Susan Scott: "If you live your life with love for others, not for what you can get, but for what you can give, you'll learn to live a life you love, and you'll love the life you live. And I do, I enjoy myself very much.'' Her love of the elderly is also derived from her grandmother.

"She lived to be almost 99, and thoroughly enjoyed her twilight years because of the people who came and made her happy,'' Mrs. Burch said. "She was my dearest friend.'' In a house full of memories, the name J.B. Place lives on through the adjoining thrift shop bearing his name.

Started as a fund-raiser, it is open on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and sells second-hand clothing and household goods.

"Mr. Place spent the last five years of his life with us, so we named the shop in his memory,'' Mrs. Burch said.

COMMUNITY FOR SENIORS -- Shady Rest Centre is a home from home for seniors under the caring eye of Mrs. Alice Burch, who grew up in the Church Valley dwelling.