Lee Cataluna: Where effects of social distancing hit hardest

Mental health and the harmful effects of isolation and social distancing has become a hot topic during these unprecedented times.

For members of the Koolau Clubhouse, those concerns have always been at the heart of what they do.

The Koolau Clubhouse in Kaneohe is a place where people with diagnoses of major mental illness meet during the day for socialization, job training and support, meals and all the health benefits that come from structure, a daily schedule, a safe space, intellectual stimulation and just having friends who check in on how you’re doing.

So the shutdown orders are a particular hardship for the 106 members who strive to stay well and who rely on one another for support.

“Not having a schedule has been hard, and some members are not doing well. They might say things are OK, when they are going without something,” said Michelle Chow, director of the Koolau Clubhouse.

The Clubhouse can’t be open during this time and the members can’t get together, but Chow and the staff of eight have been coming up with creative ways of maintaining vital socialization.

There are Zoom video-­chat meetings every morning, online exercise sessions, cooking classes with recipes that could be categorized as “easy-fancy” (like French onion ramen.) One day, they did an online pet parade where staff and members held up their dogs and cats for everyone to see.

Staff members Rejieli Smith and Eve Collier, who usually plan social outings for the members, have been doing “virtual tours” of places like the murals in Kakaako or the shoreline by Diamond Head. One drives while the other holds a cell phone, and they narrate, describing what they see via Facebook Live while members post comments.

On their tour of Waikiki, Smith pointed out the empty sidewalks and boarded-up shop windows and said, “Look at that. I have never seen it like this.”

Besides the online stuff, the Clubhouse has organized phone trees so that each staff person calls several members to check in, and members call each other. That way, each person gets several calls every week. “When members don’t answer their phones, we have gone to do mobile outreach,” Chow said.

That means checking in — while maintaining proper social distancing — and helping with questions about unemployment filing and stimulus checks. Outreach also means bringing meals to people who live alone or are homeless.

“We have provided members with masks, word puzzles and newsletters,” Chow said. “We have also provided care packages when members are in need of food or other necessities.”

There have been live music concerts on their Facebook page, wellness tips on their Instagram feed, a newsletter with stories shared from members who are essential workers describing what it’s like to be in a grocery store during these stressful days.

It’s a lot of effort, and the words “heartfelt” and “sincere” don’t even begin to describe the aloha of it all, but it is still not the same as everyone getting together daily to support one another in person, not so much “face-to-face,” but as Chow puts it, “side-by-side.”