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Sarah Reynolds

Lucy Oliveira of the New Bedford Immigrants' Assistance Center sits with 86-year-old Margarida Xavier, who moved to the US from Portugal in the 1960s. Oliveira visits Xavier's home every month and often helps Xavier read her mail.

Some Portuguese immigrants feel isolated as they grow old in their adopted home

Lifestyle

Margarida Xavier came to Massachusetts in the 1960s, when the Portuguese community in New Bedford was a booming microcosm of life back home. As younger generations integrate, life for the most elderly immigrants, who still maintain the culture and language of their home, are feeling isolated.