Mercy Care Friendship Volunteer Jon Kaplan is seen with his elder friend at Mercy Care’s annual Friendship Picnic. (Photo provided)

TUPPER LAKE — Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, is recruiting new volunteers to help their elder neighbors enjoy happier and fuller lives.

Mercy Care has scheduled a Friendship Volunteer training on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at The Holy Ghost Parish Center, 40 Marion St., Tupper Lake. A complementary lunch will be provided. Volunteers of all faiths, or of no specific faith community, are encouraged and invited to participate. Mercy Care welcomes new Friendship Volunteers in the Tri-Lakes region and surrounding communities to attend its training in Tupper Lake.

New volunteers will join more than 100 Friendship Volunteers from Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and surrounding communities who are helping their elder neighbors stay connected to their communities, while helping them to age in place more successfully.

Volunteers will learn about offering friendship and assistance to elders in sessions on spirituality and aging, how to recognize scams aimed at older adults, and how to help elders stay connected to their communities through social and educational opportunities. New volunteers will hear from experienced Mercy Care Friendship Volunteers who find purposeful service to their elder friends to be meaningful in their own lives. Mercy Care Friendship Volunteers provide informal, practical supports such as assistance with grocery shopping, transportation to medical appointments or social outings, visiting with an elder in their home, or carrying out other “errands of mercy.”

There is no cost for the training, but registration is required at Mercy Care’s website, www.adkmercy.org, or by contacting Mercy Care’s Director of Programs and Mission Integration Lexi Bevilacqua at abevilacqua@adkmercy.org or 518-523-5446.