SarahCare Adult Day Care in San Antonio | Encino Park

They Both Came as Caregivers First: Meet the Team Behind SarahCare at Encino Park

When Laura Spears and Dawn Santaniello opened SarahCare at Encino Park this spring, they weren't just launching a new adult day care in San Antonio. They were bringing something the community had been missing, a place built by people who already knew, from the inside, what families in this situation actually need.

Laura came to SarahCare after 30 years in the classroom and 13 years as a caregiver for her son following an Army injury. Dawn came after years working in special needs education and planning camps and activities for the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas and after walking alongside her Marine husband as he navigates his own cognitive journey.

Two different roads. The same deep understanding of what it means to love someone who needs more than you can give alone.

Why SarahCare

When Laura first encountered SarahCare, what struck her wasn't the program or the model. It was the people. "It aligned with what we'd want for our own loved ones," she says. "The atmosphere was fun and inviting. The people we spoke to, both corporate and center owners, were really sincere about taking care of people."

That sincerity made it personal. And personal was exactly what Laura and Dawn were looking for.

Built for Families, Before the Doors Even Opened

The support SarahCare provided during the build-out made all the difference. Weekly meetings with corporate, guidance from experienced owners, monthly gatherings with other franchisees, Laura and Dawn had people to lean on at every step.

Families noticed before Encino Park even opened. Tours and open houses generated a waitlist. One family summed it up simply:

"It seems you've thought about every detail that would make our loved ones comfortable and safe."

They had.

The Moments That Stay With You

The first tour family brought a husband living with dementia. The team had an activity ready. His wife watched him engage with the group, laugh, and come alive in a way she hadn't seen in a while. She pulled out her phone and asked to take a photo to send to their sons.

Then she said something Laura and Dawn won't forget:

"I think the difference is that you guys see my husband where he is now and embrace it. I'm grieving the loss. It's nice to see everyone happy and getting him to do something and watch him laugh again."

Another husband came in convinced his wife "can't do anything." By the end of the tour, she was sitting with the team, engaged and laughing. He left with a video on his phone of his wife responding to his questions, something he hadn't seen in a long time.

"It meant a lot to him," Laura says.

These are the moments that explain why SarahCare at Encino Park exists.

And they are just getting started.

What Makes This Team Different

Dawn brings a creativity and energy to the center that participants feel the moment they walk in. Her background in special needs education and activity planning means she is always moving, always looking for what will spark something in each person. She cares deeply about the seniors in her care, especially those living with dementia and her own experience as a caregiver for her husband gives her a level of empathy that can't be taught.

She also brings music. Dawn will sing along with just about anything, and the center's playlist reflects that joy. During the long months of construction, when the finish line felt far away, the team kept going by blasting Little Texas's "Kick a Little."

Now that the doors are open, The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" plays through the center. Because it's not just starting to happen anymore. It's happening.

Laura matches that energy with warmth, humor, and the kind of steadiness that comes from decades of showing up for others. She swaps stories, shares jokes, and fills every room she walks into.

Families feel it. Participants feel it.

It is, as more than one visitor has said, "so warm and inviting."

What Families Are Saying

"This is so needed! We're so happy to find you!"

"There's no other place like SarahCare around here."

"Your place is so warm and inviting."

And they have only just started.

Adult Day Care in San Antonio, Built on Lived Experience

SarahCare at Encino Park serves families in the San Antonio area, providing adult day care for seniors living with Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, stroke recovery, and other cognitive and physical challenges. The center opened in late April 2026.

If you are looking for adult day care in San Antonio for a loved one or if you are simply looking for someone who will see your person where they are now and embrace them, Laura and Dawn would love to meet you.

Contact SarahCare at Encino Park to learn more or schedule a tour.