Caregiver OneCall offers a lifeline to burned-out family caregivers

After she became a caregiver for her grandmother Nicole Lopez learned firsthand how overwhelming and isolating caregiving can be especially without training The challenge inspired her to start a for-profit senior care agency However over time Lopez promptly realized that sometimes people are thrown into the demanding role of a caregiver without proper training and backing To meet that need Lopez launched a nonprofit organization Caregiver OneCall which aims to provide support workers with reliable backing tools and guidance Lopez spoke with this news organization about the function Her responses have been edited for brevity and clarity Q What inspired you to start Caregiver OneCall A One of the fundamental things was that I sought to really make it known that all family members deserve to have care training and endorsement We have to train provide workshops and backing And of subject we want to with funding move into getting respite centers TreVista Senior Living in Antioch is one of the facilities we would partner with so assistants get a break Their family member gets to stay here for a couple of hours and they get to go do whatever Several just need a chance to go for a walk to go to brunch Social isolation is critical in caregiving because you re stuck at home with a loved one Q When did you start Tell us about your gang and the calls you receive A We started officially in February Right now we re all volunteer-led including the board members and participants from the area In terms of whom we ve served the spectrum of calls has been pretty thought-provoking We ve gotten those with dementia where the family members are calling in wanting to know what s the progression Like My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer s What should we expect And it s not that you can t find answers on Google You can It s just a lot of research Caregiver OneCall as the name suggests we are that one stop You call us and we will give you the materials Sometimes we just have folks who want to vent We ve had someone call who tried to find the right aid group The majority of the encouragement groups are dementia related her husband had a stroke What we do is we really listen Our executive director is a caregiver for her mom her husband who s a vet with PTSD and her son who has autism We have board members of whom have real lived experience with caregiving and the other two are in the diagnostic space Q What form of help or funding do you have A We have a grant we got through Caring Haven LLC my parent company which is helping Caregiver OneCall It s through the Alzheimer s Association so naturally it s focused on persons with dementia From July to Dec we re able to provide free respite care as long as a person is diagnosed with dementia for a certain period of time I will say the board we have a little anxiety around what happens after December because the family members would have been used to getting that help and so we re trying to really see how do we get the word out there and get more funding and awareness so we don t leave these families stranded come January Q Tell us more about the grant you received A I lead the dementia aid group here TreVista I m a certified dementia practitioner TreVista tapped me to lead their monthly group The Alzheimer s Association had a grant out for an organization They re looking for innovative methods to care for the family members who handle persons with dementia I applied on behalf of Caring Haven and then they replied with They sought me to partner with five sites Q How would you define caregiver burnout and what can people expect by calling Caregiver OneCall A We are now positioned to do follow-up calls so we can check in and see how they re doing We ve sent out surveys to see what truly matters to care providers Social isolation is invariably going to be fundamental But what else do you need self-care It sounds easy but it s not when you re covered with guilt and resentment thinking about yourself when caring for someone So we re leading workshops around all the different topics such as the importance of a will power of attorney etc Our website also has a ton of tools We are going to the communities and speaking at different events We re going to partner with the Alzheimer s Association focusing on seniors We want to focus on the parallels because chances are you could be a daughter with a sick mom but you could also have a child With Alzheimer s the conversation is tailored just to your mom and you re kind of on your own with your child So we re going to be doing a few joint workshops where those parallels exist I serve on the Economic Opportunity Council with Contra Costa County so we re talking about what that looks like for the subcontractors we work with like the homeless shelters because people are helpers everywhere so who sees them You know you have the daily issues of maybe homelessness or possibly close to homelessness You have food insecurity and you re still a caregiver We re so focused on just the practical thing that we re not remembering the other pieces of that person s life So we re trying to really meet people and have these conversations According to the Census Bureau in there were almost million family family members in California and a few are juggling that with a full-time job and parenting It s just a lot and sponsorship is needed Q What s your advice for family members A Seek help That s the first step Just don t keep it in There is somebody out there willing to listen I promise Nicola Lopez Bio Name Nicola Lopez Nikki preferred Age Birthplace St Elizabeth Jamaica Residence Antioch California Tuition MBA Bachelor s degree in Business Administration Certified dementia practitioner Life coach certification Certified DEI practitioner Five Absorbing Things About Nicola Lopez I m Jamaican-born and deeply rooted in my Caribbean heritage which shows up in everything from my work ethic and love for family to my dancing I was a teenage mom and a single mom at those early life experiences shaped how I lead care for others and advocate this day I am the founder of two impactful organizations Caring Haven a senior care agency and Caregiver OneCall Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston honored me with a Women s History Month Award by Contra Costa County District for my provision and advocacy a recognition that still means so much to me I am a published author my latest book When The Strong Get Tired offers an unfiltered look at the emotional toll of caregiving I also serve as a proud Rotarian and hold advisory roles on several county boards working to advance equity for support workers seniors and families