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    Hit hard by COVID, Native Americans come together to protect families and elders

    Indigenous Americans suffer disproportionate effects of COVID, including the mental health impact. But a collective mindset has helped them find creative solutions to buffering the stress.
    by Rhitu Chatterjee Nov 24, 2021 5 minutes
    Native tribes have responded to the pandemic with creative ways to stay connected. Veronica Concho and Raymond Concho Jr. grew traditional Pueblo foods and Navajo crops with their grandchildren Kaleb and Kateri Allison-Burbank in Waterflow, N.M.

    The past year and a half have been stressful on many fronts for Chris Aragon, a caregiver for his older brother who has cerebral palsy.

    "The left side of his body is atrophied and smaller than his right side, and he has trouble getting around. He's kind of like a big teenager," says Aragon, 60, who is part Apache and lives with his brother on the Fort Berthold Reservation of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, in North Dakota.

    His main goal throughout the pandemic has been to keep his brother safe from COVID-19, and "it's really been a struggle," he says.

    The pandemic has been a financial stressor, too, says Aragon. He worked reduced hours last year, and had periods with no work recently. "I'd wake up at night to go to the restroom, and then I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep."

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