Several organizations throughout the country seek to provide more support to caregivers and improve the care of older adults through different narratives and artistic activities that educate the public.
“Being a caregiver is not an easy job, it requires sacrifice. If any of us decide to be a caregiver, we should be prepared by telling basic stories about what it means to give and receive care, said Benny Lai of the National Asia Pacific Center on Aging based in Seattle, but with offices in Los Angeles.
During the video conference: “Community Caregivers. How artists and activists are rising. Narratives AAPI”, organized by Ethnic Media Servicesleaders of organizations that work with older adults talk about the different narrative strategies they have employed to improve community care for the aging population.
Kalani Tonga-Tukuafu, director of Pasifika Enriching Arts of Utah (PEAU), a group of artists and creators from the Pacific Islands community, said that in a survey of individuals who have been caregivers for five years they found that 67% have no formal training and only 26% have the support they need.
“This is an indication that supportive care needs caregivers to take care of themselves first.”
As part of this effort, they plan to share community stories in a series of portraits that will be displayed during an art exhibition with the intention of changing the narrative by humanizing Pacific Islanders and giving the general public a greater understanding of what What it means to live in the diaspora.
She said the event will include a panel of artists and community members who will share their experiences with caregiving.
The impact of xenophobia
Carolyn Chou, director of the Asian American Resource Workshopsaid the lack of support for caregivers has to do with the xenophobia that many Pacific Islanders face in their community.
To counter this, they conducted interviews with caregivers in the community who participate in a series of portraits that will be displayed on social media and in an exhibition, as they seek to understand how xenophobia has impacted the community as well as to create bridges. within Utah Valley.
“Many Pacific Islanders are known for having exceptional talent in athletics, entertainment and their impeccable food; and we are working with the community and with the media to dismantle these different ideologies and make them understand that we are much more than that.”
Caring for the community
Neeta Patel, interim CEO of Asian Americans Uniteda community organization with 38 years of life in Philadelphia, said its project is a story about caring for a community that fights to preserve and protect an irreplaceable home and cultural treasure, which is Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
He explained that it is a story about land, culture, and the use of money to corrupt government officials for the purpose of serving the interests of the super-rich.
“What’s happening is that three billionaire real estate developers announced plans to build from scratch a stadium in our backyard that is a 150-year-old cultural treasure, the oldest of the country’s remaining Chinatowns.”
As a result, they have created an intergenerational, multiracial coalition to defend culture and roll back the for-profit displacement model that is affecting communities across the country and the world.
“What is at stake is the very existence of our community that has survived for 150 years because we have fought for it. Chinatowns across the country have been threatened and erased by large-scale development projects. And our existence is also at stake.”
Caring for our family
Lai of the National Asia Pacific Center on Aging said they have worked with renowned director and producer, Risa Morimoto, to produce episodes on how to care for family members.
“The biggest conclusion I have come to is that caring for older adults requires sacrifice, empathy and understanding. I hope the stories resonate with everyone, because at one time or another we need to think about how to provide care for the elderly in our families.”
Healing spaces
Dianara Rivera, director of narrative strategy at the Boston-based Asian American Resource Workshop, said that particularly in these times of political impact it is imperative to create spaces for healing and build power.
“There is a need in the media and in the dominant narrative to show that care in the majority of marginalized communities is a collective, inherently political issue.”
So they set about providing healing spaces and creating storytelling workshops for the queer and trans community, including the Pacific Islander community, to collect the stories of how we care for each other.
“A lot of it has to do with not asking for help, but it’s about helping others with strength, and there are many people who like to care.”
She said they hope to archive all the stories in spaces that become deep healing narratives that help understand collective and community care.
Stories of joy
Jessica Eckerstorfer, co-executive director of Project SEAD, said the Twin Cities is home to more than 1,000 members of the diaspora that emerged after the Vietnam War and the sponsorship of Lutheran churches in Minnesota that supported many families who arrived.
“So our project focuses on stories of joy with our elders who collect and preserve our stories and allow us to connect with our countries of origin, learn from our past and keep the voices of our people alive for generations to come.”
He said that for this, the elders of his diaspora community came together to share their stories, allowing them to celebrate their humanity.
“We know that our people are more than the war that brought them here. In our new collection Planting seeds, Knowing our Joywe honor those family members who have shaped us, we celebrate their voices and we listen to them.”