LAKE PLACID — Mercy Care for the Adirondacks hosted their Friendship Volunteers, Elder Friends, and St. Joe’s Veterans and First Responder Residents for lunch and Game Day recently at the First Presbyterian Church in Saranac Lake.
Guests tested out new reimagined multigenerational versions of the classic board games Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, and Life.
The purpose of Mercy Care Volunteers, Elder Friends, and St. Joe’s Veterans and First Responder Residents socializing together was to help ease isolation and loneliness people of all ages are experiencing, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Noting the impact of these events is best illustrated in a quote from a Mercy Care Elder Friend who said, “I had a wonderful experience, meeting new people, sharing a meal, playing games, and turning strangers into friends. Got me out of my home after being isolated for six months.”
Mercy Care’s mission is to enhance in every dimension the fullness of life of Elders living in our community.
Lexi Bevilacqua, Mercy Care Program Director, remarked “Creativity in Aging” events are designed to offer elders we serve the opportunity to stay connected to their community.
Mercy Care hosts Creativity in Aging Programs throughout the year in the Tri-Lakes area, open to all Mercy Care volunteers, Parish nurses, Elder friends, as well as Mercy Care’s Mission Extension partners’ volunteers and elder friends.
Katherine Rhodes, Mercy Care’s Elder Care Manager said she, “loved hearing all the laughter and conversation as Mercy Care friends and St. Joe’s residents shared stories, food and fellowship.”
The next Mercy Care Friendship Volunteer Training Program is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2024 in Tupper Lake.
If you are interested in becoming a Mercy Care Friendship Volunteer or Parish Nurse or if you are an elder and need the services of a Mercy Care Volunteer, please call Mercy Care’s Elder Care Manager, Katherine Rhodes at 518-523-5585, contact her by e-mail at krhodes@adkmercy.org, or visit Mercy Care’s website at www.adkmercy.org