Loneliness to friendship: How volunteer programs transform lives of Adirondack seniors

Government, nonprofits work to bridge gap between older adults ‘aging in place’ and broader community

By Sara Foss

Shirley Clark needed a friend. 

“I was in an apartment in Lake Placid,” Clark said. “There was nobody around, and I was very, very lonely. I cried a lot.” 

One day, she phoned the Essex County Office for the Aging to learn what programs might be available to someone like her—an isolated, older adult in need of activity and companionship. That call led to what Clark now describes as a miracle: the arrival of Margie Gallagher. 

Gallagher visits Clark once a week, and Clark describes her as a “really good friend.” At 90, Clark is blind in one eye and no longer drives. Gallagher, a 65-year-old retired schoolteacher, takes her to do errands and on outings—to the library, to the horse show in Lake Placid, to Lake Flower for milkshakes and strolls. 

“She found out what I like to do, what I like to see,” said Clark, who now lives alone at the Saranac Village at Will Rogers in Saranac Lake. “She showed me the area.” 

Relying on help from volunteers

Clark might consider Gallagher’s friendship a miracle, but it has a very earthly source. 

Gallagher comes from Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, a non-profit that pairs trained, younger volunteers with older adults—whom the organization refers to as elders—to relieve loneliness, assist with basic tasks and forge bonds that improve social and emotional well-being.

Founded in 2007 by the Sisters of Mercy, an order of Roman Catholic nuns, Mercy Care’s mission is to help elders in the Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondacks—Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Lake Placid, and the surrounding areas—age in place. The organization believes its fleet of friendship volunteers provides crucial support for older adults, ensuring they can remain in their homes for as long as possible. 

“Most of our elders that we assist may be people living alone,” said Donna Beal, Mercy Care’s executive director. “(Our volunteers) are a substitute for what a friend or a family member might do. … Beyond the direct service of meeting those kinds of needs, we know that social engagement is a really important part of everybody’s life. Everybody needs friends.” 

The challenges of aging in place

According to a 2021 AARP survey, three-quarters of adults 50 and older want to stay in their homes or communities for as long as possible. But this can be difficult. Health issues can limit mobility, making it harder to navigate a house built for a more able-bodied person. Some might require visits from home health aides who are in short supply. Many need assistance with chores, meals and personal care. 

In the Adirondacks, these challenges are exacerbated by geography. Patients often must travel far for medical treatment and cannot make those trips on their own or are no longer comfortable driving beyond their communities. 

“We are definitely seeing a lot of new older adults and caregivers inquiring about services and supports that would benefit them and allow them to age in place, which we welcome,” said Krissy Leerke, director of the Essex County Office for the Aging. 

In July, Essex County hired a driver to ferry residents to medical appointments. “He is out every day, almost all day, whether it is over in Vermont or up in Plattsburgh or down in Glens Falls,” Leerke said. From August to December, the driver logged over 10,000 miles. 

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of U.S. adults ages 60 and older rose 33% from 57.5 million to 76.5 million, according to the Administration for Community Living’s 2021 Profile of Older Americans.

By 2030, more than one-third of the population in most Adirondack counties will be over 60, the New York State Office for the Aging reports. 

“You’re going to see a broader theme of capacity being diminished in all of our resources, and part of that has to do with the aging,” said Linda Weal, director of the Old Forge Library. “We are a really aged population.” Community Transportation Services, an all-volunteer organization, gives people in Webb rides to medical appointments. But with half of Webb’s population over 60, that volunteer pool is shrinking. 

Definitions of aging in place vary. The U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control defines it as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level.” The Association on Aging in New York defines it as living “anywhere outside of an institutional setting,” said Executive Director Rebecca Preve.

Most people achieve some version of this, thanks to the availability of in-home services. Between 2015 and 2023, the number of Americans living in nursing homes declined by 12%, from 1.37 million in 2015 to approximately 1.2 million in 2023, the California-based non-profit organization KFF found. 

Isolation in the Adirondacks

However, a lack of transportation and the ongoing shortage of home health aides are significant obstacles. 

Without a workforce to support older people living in their homes, elders are forced into institutions, hospital or nursing home “because there’s no safe discharge plan,” Preve said. 

She said even the affluent will struggle to find home help in the Adirondacks. “If you live in Rainbow Lake or Piercefield and you could privately pay a million dollars an hour, you’re not going to find a home care aide to go to your house.” 

The typical client of the state’s offices for the aging is an 83-year-old woman who lives alone, has four to six chronic health conditions and needs help with basic tasks. Absent community support, these people are “at imminent risk of nursing home placement,” said Preve, who previously served as director of the Franklin County Office for the Aging. 

Advocates for the aging noted that many older adults in the Adirondacks became more isolated, withdrawn and depressed during the pandemic. County officials responded with recreational and educational programming and free meals, either delivered or served in a congregate setting, plus help navigating health insurance. 

Programming in place to bring seniors together

Also available are exercise classes, board game events that bring older adults and youth together, informational sessions, art classes and more. Many of these events have proven popular. In Franklin County, a picnic at the pavilion in Bombay drew over 300 older adults; a Valentine’s lunch and dance attracted 100 sign-ups within two weeks. 

Armed with a giant crockpot of soup and bingo games, Weal is trying library outreach. Each month, she visits Lakeside Terrace, a low-income housing development for seniors in Old Forge. “We’re trying to have eyes on our people,” Weal said. 

County offices for the aging can provide comprehensive case management, screen clients for financial benefits and subsidies, ensure dietary needs are met and even connect people with attorneys who can help with estate planning. 

The problem, Preve said, is that these agencies are typically underfunded. “We’re seeing our waiting lists grow,” she said.

Aging in place is cost-effective, she said. “We serve people in their homes and communities for less than $10,000 a year versus $140,000 in a nursing home. And they stay on our caseloads for an average of 6.5 years.” 

Housing issues can complicate plans

Michelle Breen, director of the Franklin County Office for the Aging, advises to plan before a crisis occurs—perhaps modify a home or downsize. 

Housing, Breen said, “is a growing concern for everyone. How am I going to have that one-level home with a handicap-accessible bathroom?” 

A 2020 report by the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that only 10% of American homes are “aging ready,” meaning they feature a step-free entryway, a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor and at least one bathroom accessibility feature, such as a shower bar. 

There are some Adirondack-based organizations that assist with home renovations. Pride of Ticonderoga’s Tri-County RESTORE Program funds owner-occupied home emergency repairs for residents 60 and older in Essex, Washington and Warren counties.

Rebuilding Together Saratoga County, which helps older adults with home modifications and repairs, has 300 on its waitlist, according to Clarice Eaton, community relations coordinator for Rebuilding Together. 

Southern Adirondack Independent Living loans medical equipment for up to 90 days, allowing people to continue living in their residences, said Tyler Whitney, SAIL’s executive director. 

Volunteers on the front lines

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy advised that older adults are at risk for “social disconnection,” which can lead to increased risk of a host of physical and mental health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, dementia and premature death. 

“We can all take medication for certain conditions, but the research has shown that people, even those with health conditions, are healthier and live longer if they are not isolated and lonely,” Beal said. 

Mercy Care’s volunteers don’t administer medical treatment, but they often notice emerging health and safety problems, helping to curtail maladies and cut down on visits to medical centers. 

“Our volunteers are in the home usually once a week, and they accompany an elder for years,” Beal said. “They may notice that all of a sudden, their friend isn’t doing as well. Maybe they go open the refrigerator and see there isn’t much food in there.” 

Volunteers are instructed to relay observations. “We might see whether the Office for the Aging can help,” Beal said. “Maybe we can connect the elder to Meals on Wheels.” 

Photo at top: Community members taking part in a Tai Chi for arthritis class as part of the Essex County Senior Fitness Program funded through Essex County Office for the aging and implemented by Cornel Cooperative Extension. Photo by Eric Teed