Mercy Care’s inaugural group of Spiritual Care Companions on March 19. (Provided photo — Donna Beal)

LAKE PLACID — Mercy Care for the Adirondacks launched in 2007 with the mission of providing social support to seniors experiencing loneliness. This was long before the coronavirus pandemic intensified and exacerbated the loneliness many were already feeling. Times have changed, said Mercy Care Executive Director Donna Beal, and they need to change with them.

“Like all things, you have to have a little bit of courage to launch something new,” she said.

Change for Mercy Care most often means adapting to the needs they encounter for the elders they work with. Most recently, this has meant expanding their friendship volunteer program with individuals specifically trained to provide spiritual companionship.

“(We) have always incorporated spiritual care as part of holistic care,” Beal said. “All of us are spiritual beings.”

However, these new volunteers are trained to provide a listening ear with special attention to the spiritual. Beal emphasizes that spirituality doesn’t have to look one particular way. Many people adhere to a specific religious tradition, but others don’t. For some, a spiritual practice might be something like walking in the woods.

“It’s whatever the elder finds to be something that helps them have a happier and fuller life,” she said.

Mercy Care held its first Spiritual Care Companion Volunteer training on March 19. Twenty volunteers were trained, including some friendship volunteers who wanted to add another facet to their friendship.

The training was led by Mercy Care’s Faith Community Nurse Consultant, Jane Straton. Other spiritual care experts included Rev. John Yonkovig, the pastor at St. Agnes Church, and Hospice Spiritual Care Coordinator Colleen Corrigan.

These volunteers are better equipped to help meet spiritual needs, which may include joining elders in activities such as prayer, nature walks or listening to music. It also might mean listening to an elder tell their story, including both pain and joy.

Mercy Care has a network of over 100 volunteers in the Tri-Lakes area and beyond. The friendship volunteers are matched with an elder, providing anything from transportation to doctor appointments or lending a listening ear. Some of their volunteers spend years building a friendship with one elder.

“Our volunteers are amazing,” Beal said. “They often say, ‘I feel like I’m getting more than I’m giving by the relationship that I have with my elder friend.'”

Mercy Care administrators and volunteers don’t see themselves as simply providing services, but helping to build a community. They aim to combine direct services, community empowerment, education and advocacy to make the Tri-Lakes and the greater Adirondack region more friendly to aging individuals.

The next training for the Friendship Volunteer Program will be offered May 15 at Heaven Hill Farm, 302 Bear Cub Road, Lake Placid, with lunch included. Volunteers from any faith background are encouraged to participate.

To register for the training, visit Mercy Care’s website at www.adkmercy.org or contact Lexi Bevilacqua, Mercy Care’s Director of Programs and Mission Integration, at abevilacqua@adkmercy.org or call for more information at 518-523-5446.