Assisted living and nursing home facilities rely on a small percentage of the population who dedicate their lives to helping others without any expectation of reward, but many of these facilities still haven’t seen volunteers return to pre-pandemic levels.

During the most challenging stages of the coronavirus pandemic, restrictions enacted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 all but eliminated opportunities for people to volunteer.

When those restrictions eased, many older volunteers hesitated to reenter the places they had spent many happy hours helping others due to fears of contracting a virus that has proven deadly to so many senior citizens.

Donna Cawthorne, community outreach coordinator at Lutheran Senior Life Passavant in Zelienople, said the current number of available volunteers is down considerably from the 120 to 130 who helped out on the Passavant campus prior to March 2020.

She said the decrease in volunteers also can be attributed to her department’s inability to recruit new volunteers during the past two years.

Cawthorne said the pandemic has created a roller coaster style atmosphere in the assisted living facility and nursing home.

“At the very beginning, everything shut down,” she recalled. “No one was coming in. It was so quiet here and so odd.”

Then, at certain times it would begin to look as if volunteers and visitors could be welcomed back to Passavant’s buildings, but the campus would be forced to close down again.

This pattern of a building up of hope, followed by its being taken away “has been our life for the last two years,” Cawthorne said.

The inability to man the counter at the gift shop or “gently used“ store, bring service animals in to cheer up patients, assist vision-impaired residents, provide devotional visits, teach classes, play instruments or sit with dying residents took a toll on the volunteers as well, Cawthorne said.

Some volunteers tried to keep a hand in by sending greeting cards to residents, or they helped caregivers by sewing masks for them to wear.

“They were trying to find ways to support us while (remaining outside of) these walls,” Cawthorne said. “I think it really showed the character of those who want to serve, because they still did as much as they could and remained faithful in their commitment to serving the elderly.”

When families were permitted to visit again, Passavant volunteers stepped up to perform COVID-19 screenings and take temperatures at the door.

“That freed up a lot of staff,” Cawthorne said.

Today, as experts tentatively suggest the pandemic may have become endemic, Cawthorne said many volunteer programs have returned or are gearing up to do so.

She said most worship services have restarted, including Catholic Masses, which began welcoming worshipers this week.

The following volunteer programs are back at Passavant: Eagle Eyes, which assists vision-impaired residents; Care Friends, which provides devotional visits; Compassionate Friends, an end-of-life comfort service; classes and presentations led by volunteers; therapeutic pet visits; and musicians who perform for residents.

“It’s just so nice to see that level of activity back,” Cawthorne said. “And the residents are pleased to be able to participate in activities.”

Volunteer Linda Shonka said she is thrilled to be back as a volunteer in the Gently Used Shop, where clothes, shoes, purses and other items donated by residents and their families are sold at discount prices.

“It provides an amazing opportunity to interact with residents, provide a service and to be creative — but more importantly, it is a way to give the gift of time so that others in need may benefit,” Shonka said. “At the end of each day, I leave this campus with a great sense of accomplishment in serving.”

Nancy Fleming, volunteer manager at Passavant gift shop, said she remains at there because she loves the residents and the stories they share with her.

“When I shop for the gift shop, I think of them,” Fleming said of collecting inventory for the store. “I truly love getting them their favorite things. The residents are like family I get to see almost daily.”

Laura Roy, executive director at Passavant Community, praised all who donate their time and talent at the campus.

“Passavant Community is deeply grateful for our volunteers, and we recognize that our community is profoundly blessed because of them,” Roy said. “I am always humbled as I interact with them because I never see an unhappy volunteer. They’re always smiling, and that’s because they are filled with joy in service to others.”

At Butler VA Health Care System, 93 people are currently active volunteers.

Andrew Gryskewicz, voluntary services specialist, said his volunteer numbers also are down since the pandemic began.

Gryskewicz marvels at the dedication of the VA’s volunteers, who he is sure struggled with not being able to help out during the pandemic.

“They put in five-, six-, eight-hour days for nothing, and they are willing and ready to come back during a time period when people are afraid of a virus that could kill them, but they don’t care.” he said. “They want to help the vets.”

He said the volunteer drivers were the first to come back when permitted.

“Our drivers jumped right back into the fold,” Gryskewicz said. We are always in need of drivers. We never have enough.“

All volunteer positions at the Abie Abraham VA Clinic are back to being staffed, including greeters, office helpers, library assistants and others, Gryskewicz said.

One group of volunteers who still have not been given the green light to return to the VA system are those who worked in the long-term living center and domiciliary.

Volunteers in those facilities help with passing out food, feeding, recreational activities, church services and other tasks that assist the nurses and aides.

“I have several who continue to call in every few months to check in,” Gryskewicz said. “That’s 25 to 30 people who are waiting to come back and volunteer in those places.”

Gryskewicz called all VA volunteers, whether they put in a few hours or dozens, “absolutely incredible.”

Jaime White, activities coordinator at Concordia Cabot Personal Care, said about 15 volunteers provided pet therapy, helped with crafts, distributed activity schedules, led a men’s group, manned a snack shop, assisted with outdoor gardening and provided office help before the pandemic.

Today only a few are available to volunteer at the facility.

“A lot of our volunteers are older, scared of getting COVID and hesitant to come and go in the rooms,” White said. “They are very much appreciated and missed.”

She said a resident volunteer, Bud Sears, transformed a battery-powered cart into an ice cream truck of sorts during the pandemic. White and her coworkers were able to enter residents’ rooms to offer them frosty treats.

“Some came out and followed us,” White said of pushing the cold confection cart around the facility.

Some residents at Concordia reside at Cabot Haven Apartments and are thrilled to be able to help out around campus.

Jo-Ann Paulenda volunteers in personal care and skilled nursing.

“We help where we can, and we have the time to do it,” Paulenda said. “Wherever I’m needed, I go.”

Peg Pavetti serves as a greeter at community events and helps with mail and administrative duties at Concordia in Cabot.

“I volunteer because I’m free and I have the time on my hands,” she said. “I think it’s a worthwhile cause.”

Marge Banks helps the kitchen staff with administrative duties, greets visitors and arranges for greeters at community events. She also visits residents when they’re sick.

“I volunteer because it’s the right thing to do, and one has to help their community,” Banks said.