"Lopez had long referred to her grandmother as her "favorite person in the world," but caregiving created an entirely new dynamic. Lopez was tasked with a laundry list of responsibilities for her bed-bound grandmother while juggling her day job. By the end of the first day, Lopez thought to herself that she couldn't handle everything that caregiving entailed. By the end of the first week, Lopez had gone three days without a shower and was neglecting her own personal needs."
"It was this question that inspired the creation of Caregiver OneCall, a 24/7 emotional support line based in Antioch that launched in February for caregivers who need someone to listen. "Clearly, caring for someone is not new. Caregivers have been around forever," said Lopez, the CEO of Caregiver OneCall. "But outside of that physical care - that emotional care, that mental care, that psychological safety - what does that look like?""
Nikki K. Lopez returned to Jamaica during the COVID-19 pandemic to care for her bed-bound grandmother, Beryl Gordon, and found caregiving created overwhelming new responsibilities. Balancing a day job with intensive care led to exhaustion and self-neglect, including multiple days without basic personal care. Family focused on the elder rather than the caregiver's well-being, and friends without caregiving experience could not grasp the emotional toll. The question "Who cares for the caregivers?" inspired Caregiver OneCall, a 24/7 emotional support line in Antioch launched in February as an extension of Caring Haven Home Care to address emotional, mental, and psychological safety beyond physical services.
Read at The Mercury News
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