A 99-year-old’s Post-COVID Plan

What is on top of your to-do list after getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Having dinner in a restaurant? Taking a trip? Going to a spinning class? 

For a 99-year-old Chinese resident at St. Margaret’s House, the answer is simple: having dim sum in Chinatown with her family.

It has been two months since Yuetying Lee received her second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. Margaret’s House. She now has the confidence to leave her room and walk around the building but is still far from going out for dim sum. “I haven’t been out since the pandemic,” said Lee. “It’s boring at home. I only watch TV.” 

Lee moved to St. Margaret’s House, the subsidized apartment community for older and disabled adults sponsored by Trinity Church Wall Street, in 2007. She used to go to a senior center in Chinatown before the pandemic, now she can only stay inside her apartment. Her daughter-in-law and a social worker take turns providing for her care. 

Like Lee, 72 percent of all staff and residents at St. Margaret’s House have received two doses of the vaccine. However, it does not mean that life is going back to what it was before the pandemic. Visitors register at the front desk before going inside the building. “We are following the City and State guidelines regarding mask-wearing in public,” said Claire Guerette, Executive Director at St. Margaret’s House. 

Under the vision and guidance of Trinity Church Wall Street’s priest-in-charge, churchwardens, and vestry, the mission of St. Margaret’s House is to enable a community of elderly and disabled individuals to live in a secure environment that fosters independence, mutual respect, and dignity.

Residents enjoy the events and activities in the building. However, since March last year, all gatherings have been canceled at St. Margaret’s House, including birthday celebrations for residents that used to happen every two months. Family can come and visit, but Lee still has concerns about celebrating her 100th birthday with all her family members. “It’s still not a good time for celebration. We will do it in a simple way,” Lee said.

Most of the residents do their best to follow the protocols at St. Margaret’s House. Many residents avoid leaving their apartments or the building as much as possible. They depend on their families or social workers to bring them food and groceries.

The hall in the building used to be packed with seniors chatting and enjoying the sunshine coming through the glass windows. Now, the benches are empty. A few people stretch their arms and legs in the open space. Some neighbors wave their hands and exchange a few words with physical distancing.

Lee was happy to see Sing Lam in the hallway and handed her a red packet from a stack in her wallet, which she had prepared to give her for Lunar New Year more than two months ago. 

Lam’s title is Resident Service Coordinator at St. Margaret’s House, but her role is way more than that for many senior residents. She speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Fujianese, so she helps them understand their letters, answers their questions, and has daily conversations with them in their native languages.

“I couldn’t see them as much as before the pandemic,” said Lam, “I have to call them or schedule meetings, which they are not used to.” 

In the middle of our interview, Lam suddenly laughed while talking to Lee. Lam then translated to me that Lee said she forgot to bring her letter down for Lam. “I told her no worries, I would help her later,” Lam said.

In the end of our conversation, I asked Lee about her plan after her 100th birthday in July. She said, “Just be happy every day. I don’t think that far.”