In Black families, caregiving is not a choice. It is a calling, a cultural expectation passed down through generations, and one of the most underserved responsibilities in America. Now, one Bay Area founder is doing something about it.
Nikki K. Lopez, MBA, CDP, a Jamaican-born certified dementia practitioner, life coach, author, and speaker, is the founder of two organizations designed to meet family caregivers exactly where they are: Caregiver OneCall, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free 24/7 caregiver navigation and support services nationwide.
Together, they form one of the most comprehensive wraparound support ecosystems available to family caregivers in the country, and they are reaching a community that research confirms is carrying a disproportionate burden in silence.
The data on Black family caregivers is sobering. Fifty-seven percent experience what researchers classify as high-burden caregiving, providing an average of thirty hours of care per week. More than a quarter report having no family, friends, or neighbors to help, making them solely responsible for all caregiving duties. Black families spend 34 percent of their annual income on care-related costs, compared to 14 percent for white families. And yet, access to formal support services remains deeply limited.
“Black caregivers are showing up every single day for their families,” says Lopez. “They are not complaining. They are not asking for help. Because in our community, we were raised to be strong. But even the strong get tired.”
Lopez’s caregiving-focused title, When the Strong Get Tired, speaks directly to family caregivers who have been holding it together at the expense of their own health, peace, and identity. Written from personal experience, the book serves as both a companion and a call to action for caregivers who need permission to receive support as well as give it.
The book is not a standalone resource. It is part of the ecosystem. Families who engage with Caregiver OneCall or Caring Haven are connected to tools, guidance, and resources, including Lopez’s own writing, that honor the emotional and cultural realities of caregiving in communities of color.
Caregiver OneCall exists to answer a question that millions of family caregivers are asking in the middle of the night, on a lunch break, or in a hospital hallway: What do I do now?
The nonprofit provides free, around-the-clock caregiver navigation and support services to family caregivers across the United States, regardless of the care recipient’s age or condition. Whether a family is navigating a new dementia diagnosis, managing medication questions, dealing with caregiver burnout, or simply unsure of the next step, Caregiver OneCall is there.
The service is funded entirely through donations and grants, which means it costs families nothing to access. Lopez and her team are also building the Caregiver Champion monthly giving program, inviting individuals, faith communities, employers, and organizations to contribute as little as a few dollars a month to keep the line available to the families who need it most.
Family caregivers seeking free navigation support can reach Caregiver OneCall at 833-927-6599 or caregiveronecall.org, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no cost.
Those who wish to support the mission can join the Caregiver Champion monthly giving program at caregiveronecall.org.
