China News Service, March 2. According to a report from the American Overseas Chinese News Network, at the beginning of the epidemic, most of the elderly activity centers in New York City were closed, and Elvie Roman, an Asian elderly man, rarely went out. .

She said it took a toll on her mental health, so the reopening of the Grand Street Settlement last June in Chinatown made a big difference.

　　According to NY1, Roman, 72, said: "Now I feel good because you have a place where you can go and communicate with people instead of staying at home and being depressed. Usually I am alone (at home), so I Always come here now."

　　But leaving home on the Lower East Side also meant she had to worry more about her own safety as she navigated the city.

　　Roman, who is from the Philippines, said: "I'm nervous because I'm old, you know, I don't fight. Especially when I go to take the subway, I'm really nervous and sometimes I try to call the police in case it happens. nothing, but there are no police there."

　　Attacks against Asian Americans have been on the rise during the pandemic.

Anti-Asian incidents will increase 343 percent in 2021 to 133, compared with 30 the year before, according to the NYPD.

There was one confirmed anti-Asian incident in 2019.

　　Police figures show that as of February 20 this year, there have been seven anti-Asian hate crimes, compared with just three during the same period in 2021.

　　Mr. Ma, a 61-year-old Chinese man, died on New Year's Eve after being wounded in an attack last spring, while Ms. Ma, a 62-year-old Queens resident, was stoned to death, according to police.

These events have greatly shaken the Asian-American elderly population.

　　"At the beginning of the pandemic, they were very afraid to get out of the community because they didn't want to be harassed. Now, they don't feel safe in their own community," said a member of the local community group East Broadway Caring Citizens.

　　Language is a big barrier for many older Asian Americans, and some say they don't trust themselves to communicate effectively with law enforcement in an emergency.

Roman, who lives on the Lower East side, relies on her neighbors to connect with each other as anti-Asian incidents rise.

　　That's why Roman relies on the organizations in their communities and the senior centers they visit.

"In my apartment, my neighbors, they're really close as family," Roman said.

　　She said the neighbors in her building were mostly elderly, and they checked in on each other regularly to make sure everyone was okay.

They usually form a WeChat group to quickly share safety information and news articles.

For example, if someone knew of an incident on a certain street, they would text each other to remind each other to avoid that spot.

　　The 74-year-old Chinese surnamed Zhoung from Manhattan said she had changed her daily life because of fear.

"Since the pandemic, I actually don't ride the subway anymore."

　　Lifestyle adjustments can be more difficult for older Asians with low incomes or below poverty levels, community advocates say.

　　From 2010 to 2019, the city's overall population of Asian-American seniors grew by 78 percent, according to an analysis by the Asian American Federation of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey.

　　As the population grew, the number of older Asian Americans living in poverty in New York City rose from 30,477 to 50,970, an increase of about 67 percent.

That's because the overall poverty rate among non-Asian seniors in the metro area fell by 1 percent, according to the Asian American Federation.

　　Despite their fears, many remain optimistic about the generosity of strangers.

Roman said: "In the subway, there are a lot of people. There are still some good people among them, and if something happens, they will help you."