The COVID-19 pandemic does not discriminate based on the color of one’s skin, yet some racial groups are likely more adversely impacted than others. The U.S. has seen magnified stigmatization and discrimination against Asians in the last few months, likely deepening racial disparities in health. Our long-term goal is to improve the well-being of Vietnamese Americans (VAs) older adults in New Orleans. This age group is likely more negatively affected by Covid-19 compared to other groups because: 1) their tangible and social support is greatly diminished during the stay-at-home mandate, and 2) their family caregivers are also under increased economic and social stresses caused by Covid-19. Our objectives are: 1) to assess levels of stress and quality of life (QOL) during the pandemic among VA older adults, and 2) to understand COVID-19-related stressors and their impacts on caregiving by family caregivers. We interviewed a group of VA older adults and their caregivers; the VA older adult interviews focus on COVID-19-related stress and QOL, while the caregiver interviews focus on COVID-19 stressors and the caregiving burden. This project is funded by the Tulane University’s Rapid Response Grant.
Leadership Team
