"Kaore au e mohio he aha taku mahi me te kore taku whanau Y. Poitūkohu Clinic for Girls, otira i enei wa uaua, te tikanga o te ao ki ahau. Ko te noho mokemoke karekau he whanau e tata ana ka tino whakamataku, me nga hoa i hanga e au me te tautoko mai i nga kaimahi o te Y, Ua ite au e ore roa vau e vai otahi noa ». — Gerda Cordova, 86
I ngaro a Gerda e ona hoa i tana korenga i tae mai ki te tina i te Whare Wananga o te Y's Center for Adults Living Well, no reira i toro atu ratou ki te kapa Y, nana i whakapa atu ki a ia. I korero to maatau Kaiwhakahaere Haumaru-i-Kainga ki a Gerda me te mohio kei te pa ki a ia nga tohu o COVID-19.
I pau a Gerda i te mataku ki te haere ki tana taakuta, ki tetahi ruma ohorere ranei i te hohipera i te wa e mate ana te mate, na te Y i whakarite me te utu i a ia kia whai haerenga ki te tiaki hauora i te kainga me ZiphyCare, nana i whakahaere he whakamatautau PCR COVID-19 i hoki pai mai.
Mai i tana tātaritanga, Ko nga kaimahi a te Y me ona hoa mai i CALW ka taki ki a ia ia ra ma te waea. I tua atu, Ka tukuna nga kai wera me etahi atu mea e matea ana ki tona kuaha kia mohio ai kei te kai ia, kei a ia nga mea katoa e matea ana e ia.
Ka toro atu ta matou nēhi Haumaru-i-Kainga ki a Gerda ia wiki, te whakahaere tonu i nga whakamatautau COVID-19 me te tirotiro i tona hauora me tona oranga.
Whai muri i etahi wiki, Kei te ora a Gerda, kua hoki mai ano tona kaha. Kaore e taea e ia te tatari kia ora ia ki te hoki ki te Y ki te pai ki te tina me nga mahi me ona hoa.
Ka taea e te Y te whakarato ratonga whakahirahira ki nga pakeke pakeke o te rohe, rite Gerda, na roto i te atawhai o a tatou kaituku me nga kaituku putea.To takoha Ka taea e koe te awhina i te rereketanga nui mo o tatou hoa noho whakaraerae.
I neke a Gerda ki Washington Heights i roto 1965 a he mema kaha mo CALW mai i tana reti 15 tau ki muri. Pērā i te maha o ngā kaumātua o tō mātou rohe, ko ia anake e noho ana, karekau he whanau tata, me te whaiti ki te utu i ana whakapaunga ia marama.
Ka toro atu ta maatau tautoko ki tua atu i te urupare ki nga raru. Mo etahi tau, Kua whiwhi a Gerda Haumaru-i-Kainga nga haerenga tiaki whare ia rua wiki. I mua i te wa o te mate urutaru, i uru ia ki ta matou roopu whakaaro huritao ia wiki ma te waea. I te mutunga ka hoki mai ano ia ki te hui ki te roopu i te wa i hui ano te hotaka ki te waahi. I tua atu, she has enjoyed participating in the Y’s pen pal program between local older adults and children, and she has connected weekly with a social work intern for support.
The Y is committed to enhancing the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds in our community. With 29% of older adults in Washington Heights and Inwood living below the poverty line, your donation can help the Y continue to be a lifeline for our vulnerable neighbors.
Thanks to our generous donors and funders, Gerda isn’t facing her obstacles alone. Your support can ensure that the Y is there for Gerda and other local older adults facing isolation, food insecurity, COVID-19, and other challenges with nowhere else to turn.
