Thread by @EthnicMediaSvc

@HelenZiaReal kicks off today's @EthnicMediaSvc briefing on the isolation and loneliness of elderly immigrants. Many of the people she interviewed for her book had never told others their stories of pain. ethnicmediaservices.org/media-briefing…"

"Seniors are being attacked," says @HelenZiaReal "So many of our elders are still working and so vulnerable," she said, referring to mass shootings at places of work.

"How do we make invisible people visible? We talk to them, we ask them. I asked my mother a question, and as she told me her story, she became lighter," says Helen Zia @HelenZiaReal @invisiblepeople

"Why are people still working in their 70s?" asks Rita Medina of @CHIRLA "These should be their golden years, but there are no options for them," she said, referring to the large population of undocumented seniors. California alone has 17,000 undocumented seniors.

Undocumented seniors work as domestics, farm workers, construction workers. "Their bodies are literally breaking under their struggles," says Rita Medina of @CHIRLA Beyond the expansion of MediCal, there are few resources. "There is no retirement. There is no nest egg for them."

"We know undocumented seniors are paying taxes, but they cannot access Social Security benefits," says Rita Medina of @CHIRLA California is working on its Master Plan for Aging: what are their plans for undocumented people? @CalAging

"Our undocumented seniors need access to medical and mental health specialists, but there's not enough support," says Rita Medina of @CHIRLA

"Many Cambodians who survived the genocide still suffer from PTSD. They struggle with rage and depression," says Laura Som of the Maye Center in Long Beach. "It would be too easy just to blame the perpetrators of these mass shootings."

"We need resources. We need specialists who speak our languages. We need to advocate for our communities' well being," says Laura Som, herself a Cambodian refugee and founder of the Maye Center in Long Beach.

"Help transform trauma into activism," says Laura Som of the Maye Center

"We need to break the stigma. Seniors are relevant. They don't speak our language, but here they are, advocating for themselves," says Laura Som of the Maye Center.

Dr. Brett Sevilla, Medical Director of the Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers, says "When we learned about the Monterey Park shooting, which is one mile from our clinic, our hearts sank."

There were several red flags in the Monterey Park shooter, says Dr. Brett Sevilla of APCTC. While a mental health intervention may have helped, it is impossible to know, he said.

Many elders cannot access mental health care because of transportation, economic, and language barriers. "There is also stigma and shame, the fear of being called crazy," says Dr. Sevilla of APCTC

Many immigrant elders believe Western medications are too strong or - in fact - cause illness, says Dr. Brett Sevilla of APCTC.

"Our initial inclination was that this was yet another anti-Asian hate crime," says Dr. Brett Sevilla of APCTC.

The #yellowchaircollective is providing six virtual mental health sessions to anyone who was impacted by the #MontereyPark shootings says founder Linda Yoon. She spoke about the lack of linguistically appropriate mental health providers, particularly those who work with seniors

"There are a lot of resources for children and families, but not for older immigrants," says Linda Yoon of the #yellowchaircollective. "Many of the clients I worked with had never shared their emotions and they cried when they spoke to me."

"Put a human face on the perpetrators and the victims," says @HelenZiaReal @invisiblepeople

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