Immigration

Senior Center Reaches out to Chinese Population

By Chelsea Rice

BROOKLINE—At the Brookline Senior Center on a recent Monday afternoon, multiple tables on the center’s two floors are packed with Mah jongg games, a popular past time here. The recently opened center hosts the traditional Chinese game of strategy and chance weekly as a part of its Asian Outreach program.

In cooperation with Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center, the center provides informational programs to make sure its Chinese community, the largest ethnic minority in the town, remains informed about important issues, such as health care.

“A lot of [elderly Chinese] come for more social things, then when they feel comfortable, they think of us as a safe place to come and ask questions about more difficult things, like health care,” said Judith Gimble, the center’s newsletter editor.

Since the state has tried to mandate state-wide coverage for health insurance in 2006, officials at the Council on Aging said it is even more pressing for seniors to understand their healthcare programs, medications and insurance policies.

In a 2001 study by the Brookline Public Health department, 57 percent of 177 senior Chinese immigrants said they “experienced language difficulties when using health care services.”

The Brookline Senior Center, began its Asian Outreach Program in 2001—when it opened its new Winchester Street facility—to help its elderly Chinese community understand and adjust to life in the United States.

“Even for people who understand English, it is all too much for the elderly because of all the changes in the healthcare and insurance,” said Lili Mei, the program’s director. “We [the staff] even have to update on a daily basis for our own knowledge.”

Bilingual case managers and social workers visit the senior center every week. Understanding insurance policies and medication are the main questions the Golden Age Center’s case managers address, Mei said.

“They [Chinese immigrants at the Senior Center] are very polite and appreciative, and they are comfortable with me,” said Grace Fung, a bilingual case manager who has worked with the Asian Outreach program for seven years.

During her weekly visits to the center, Fung calls doctors to schedule or cancel appointments, helps fill out paperwork and translates insurance policy statements for the elderly Chinese.

“We would’ve loved to pay for a full time Asian Outreach worker,” said Ruthann Dobeck, the director of the Council on Aging. “But we have a lot of volunteers to fill in the gaps.”

Blood pressure screenings with bilingual nurses are held at the Senior Center each month along with conversational English classes.

Although the program director noted an increase in the services available for the Chinese in Brookline, Mei would like to see the community develop language programs for other minorities.

“There is still a lack of translation services around, and mainly only one language [Chinese] provided,” she said.

Recently, the center has recruited bilingual student volunteers from Brookline High School. The volunteers visit the elderly at their homes to help with errands and housework. During the winter, when it is more difficult for seniors to travel, help with health care is always available by phone, Dobek said.