“许多人在疫情中，待在家里都长胖了，我反而瘦了好几磅。”丘太太回忆起过去一年疫情中的生活，流露出深深的疲惫。1986年她与先生一起移民美国，先生博学多才，品味清雅，然而在四年前，获患阿兹海默症。“目前差不多已经是中后期，就是他什么都不知道了，也没有记忆，就要24小时看着他。”

尽管照顾先生非常辛苦，丘太太仍保持着井井有条的生活：“疫情之前，我们每天去老人中心吃饭，差不多11点半出去，1点钟回来，然后到每天大概4、5点钟，我们又出去跑跑这样。他就比较有事做，照顾起来比较容易。”但是疫情开始之后，老人中心都关门了，丘太太担心疫情，也不敢出门，但先生却不知道，总是闹着要出门，也没有什么事情消耗他的体力，于是变得更焦躁了。“你告诉他什么他也不知道，一直都抵抗的，有的时候当然知道他是有病的，但是我也是人，有的时候忍耐是有限度的，我也会发脾气的，但又发不出来，就闷在里面。”丘太太说，照顾阿兹海默症患者的辛苦，甚至是没法与朋友或者家人说的：“像我跟我儿子说，我儿子就说，你会不会跟你孙子吵架？”因为就认知程度来说，丘先生已经退化到与孩童差不多了。“我说孙子，你教他，他会学，这个，你教他一，他回答你二，他会反驳你的，他是成人，他不是小孩。”

能够理解丘太太，是与她一样在疫情中辛苦照顾着阿兹海默症患者的家人们。“幸而我参加了阿兹海默关爱服务的支持小组，每两周我们在线上聚会一次，互相分享，吐吐苦水，也了解一些信息，比如疫情的进展，每一阶段的照护常识等等。”丘太太唯一对她情绪支持比较有用的，就是CaringKind阿兹海默关爱服务的支持小组。负责阿兹海默关爱服务华裔社区的石蔚静说，自己作为一个受训的专业社工，跟案主接触的时候，很自然会做一个精神健康的评估：“我感觉我们失智症家庭的家属，70%到80%有焦虑症和抑郁症。焦虑症是因为不知道被照顾者明天会有什么行为发生，而抑郁症是因为自己觉得没有希望。”

阿兹海默关爱服务为阿兹海默症患者和家庭提供从教育、到护理等各方面的服务，疫情中，许多服务受到影响，但定期的小组聚会，却坚持了下来。“我们用电话，然后慢慢开始用网络会议的形式，总之在疫情中，我们小组的能量尽情发挥，真的帮助到了大家。”石蔚静也透露，在疫情中，有成员遭遇了家人离世的不幸，因为保持着的定期联系，她能够了解成员的情绪，提供及时的疏导：“我们就是有这样的一个场所，能够舒缓大家的情绪。”

“保持心理健康一个最好的办法就是和人分享。”从事心理健康教育多年的宋怡帧说：“你要愿意通过表达自己的困难，说出来你自己内心的感受，来让我们的大脑短暂地得到休息，而不被这样的事情一直干扰。这是一个阻断心理疾病的症状在我们身上，继续起负面作用的一个好的办法。”在社会中，在人们的身边，成立像阿兹海默关爱服务这样的小组，通过分享和交流等活动，帮助大家缓解情绪困扰，其实非常重要。

“我们在2018年的年初，就创立了一个叫做NYC WELL（1-888-692-9355）的求助热线。这是专门针对心理危机的一个求助热线，可以提供短期的疏导，第二个功能就是它可以帮你就近找到治疗师。”纽约市卫生局公共资讯发言人宋怡帧以数据说事实：“2020年的7月到10月，4个月期间，同期跟2019年同时间相对比的话，增长了44%。总的来说2020年这一年，NYCWELL接受了超过30万人次的求助。”宋怡帧说，这些数字可以证明，疫情多多少少影响了每一个纽约人的精神健康。

“因为当人们被隔离的时候，很难有机会知道，谁在无声地经历痛苦。”曾服务于纽约州精神健康办公室30年的Kin-Wah Lee说。与Kin-Wah Lee一样在亚裔精神健康领域服务多年的心理咨询师Pam Yew Schwartz博士说：“我们能做的，就是建立精神保护网，尽量多加一层——在每层保护网之下再加一层网，如果一层破了还有另一层。”

编者按：

六月是纽约市的精神健康宣传月。在美国老年学会，代际记者联盟，银发世纪基金会

（The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and the Silver Century Foundation）赞助的系列节目中，我们特别关注在过去一年的疫情里，亚裔老人的精神健康经历了怎样的危机，同时，一起寻找如何获得各方的帮助，像保护我们的身体健康一样，守护我的精神健康。

Mental Health of Asian Elderly in the Pandemic: Adding the Safety Net

"Many people gained weight when they stayed at home during the pandemic, but I lost several pounds." Mrs. Qiu recalled her life during the pandemic in the past year, feeling exhausted. 

In 1986, Mrs. Qiu immigrated to the United States with her husband, who was knowledgeable and elegant. But four years ago, Mr. Qiu was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He is now in the middle and late stages, and his cognition has deteriorated. He can’t remember things and needs someone to look after him 24 hours a day."

Although it is very hard to take care of her husband, Mrs. Qiu still maintains a good routine and enjoys a peaceful life: "Before the pandemic, we went to the senior center nearby to eat lunch every day. We left home at about 11:30, and returned at 1:00 pm. And then, we took a walk at about 4 or 5 pm. In this way, I kept my husband busy and it would be easier for me to take care of him.” But after the pandemic began, the senior centers were closed, and they had to stay at home. Mr Qiu didn’t understand and wanted to go out like before. It was even harder for Mrs Qiu to soothe his temper:"He doesn't know anything. He always resists. And of course I know he is sick, but I am also a human being, I have my limits, I will lose my temper. I know I shouldn’t, so I keep it to myself.” Mrs. Qiu said it is impossible for her family members and friends to understand her feelings, because they don’t have the same experience.  “Like once, I told my son I was angre. My son tried to comfort me saying that will you quarrel with your grandson? Because his dad’s cognition has degenerated to 3 or 4 year-old. I replied that if I teach my grandson, he will learn. But for my husband, he is an adult, he is not a child."

For Mrs Qiu, the people who could understand her are the ones that like her:  family caregivers who has been taking care of Alzheimer's patients during the pandemic. "Fortunately, I participated in the support group of Alzheimer Care Service. We meet online once every two weeks, sharing our thoughts with each other, spitting out bitterness, and learning some information, such as the updated information of the pandemic. "This has been a very important way for Mrs. Qiu getting emotional support. Weijing Shi, who is in charge of CaringKing Alzheimer care and service for the Chinese community, said that as a trained professional social worker, when contacting the client, she would naturally make a mental health assessment: “From my experience, 70% to 80% of the caregivers in Alzheimer families have anxiety and depression. They have anxiety because they don’t know what the care recipients will do tomorrow, and depression is because they feel hopeless."

CaringKind provides services to Alzheimer’s patients and their families, ranging from education to nursing care. Many services have been affected during the pandemic, but caregivers’ group meetings have persisted. "We used our phones, and then slowly started to use online meetings. In the pandemic, the energy of our group was fully utilized, and it really helped everyone." Weijing Shi said that during the pandemic, some participants lost their family members. Because of the regular contact she maintained with them, Weijing was able to detect the emotions of the members and provide timely guidance: "We have such a place to ease everyone's stress."

"One of the best ways to maintain mental health is to share with others."Echo Song, who has been engaged in mental health education for many years, said: "You have to be willing to express your own difficulties and feelings, so that your brains can get a short break from the things that has being bothering you all the time. This is a good way to block the symptoms of mental illness from continuing having negative effects on us."  It is very important to establish groups like Alzheimer caregivers’ group to help everyone relieve emotional stress through sharing and communication activities.

"At the beginning of 2018, we Launched a hotline called NYC WELL (1-888-692-9355) to address the mental health crisis. It can provide short-term counseling and also help to find a therapist nearby." Echo Song, Public Information Speaker, Community Engagement & Training

Specialist of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, stated data: "If we compare the call we received from our hotline NYC WELL during July to October, 2020, to the same period of time in 2019. There is an increase of 44%. Totally in 2020, NYCWELL received more than 300,000 requests for help.” Echo said that these numbers can obviously show that everyone in NYC, more or less, has been mentally affected by the pandemic.

"If people are so isolated, you really miss the opportunities, because no one would know they were sufferring in silence." said Kin-Wah Lee, who has served in the New York State Office of Mental Health for 30 years. Dr. Pam Yew Schwartz, a therapist who has also served Asian American community for many years, said: “What we can do is to keep adding safety net under each one. If one fall through one, you have another one."

Editor's words:

June is Mental Health Awareness Month in New York City. We launched our special programs paying attention to the crisis in the mental health of Asian elderly people during the COVID pandemic in the past year. The program is sponored by The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and the Silver Century Foundation. We hope to promote the mental health while call for more attention to the equal access to the mental health resouces.