Caregiver OneCall Named 2026 Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence & Innovation Recipient

Posted on September 1, 2026

Caregiver OneCall has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence & Innovation, presented in partnership with the American Public Health Association's Aging and Public Health Section.

The award recognizes nonprofit programs that show real creativity in project design and a documented record of improving the lives of older adults. It's one of the most respected national honors in the aging and public health field, and past recipients include organizations doing groundbreaking work in caregiver support, dementia care, and community-based aging services across the country.

Caregiver OneCall was recognized for its free, 24/7 multilingual hotline supporting family caregivers nationwide. In just one year, the hotline served over 600 caregivers across the country, with 93 percent reporting they felt more confident and less isolated after their very first call.

Those numbers matter. But behind every one of them is a person: a daughter calling at 2 AM because her mother with dementia won't stop wandering. A husband who didn't know respite care existed until someone finally told him. A caregiver who just needed one person to ask how she was doing, not just how her loved one was doing.

That's the gap Caregiver OneCall was built to close.

Why This Recognition Matters

Across the United States, more than 63 million people are providing unpaid care for a family member or loved one, according to the AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving 2025 report. Most of them are doing it without training, without pay, and without anywhere to turn when they hit their breaking point.

Traditional caregiver support services often operate during business hours, require appointments, or serve only specific populations. Caregiver OneCall was built differently: free, available around the clock, and staffed by navigators trained specifically in the realities of caregiving, from dementia care to burnout to the maze of resources caregivers are expected to figure out on their own.

"No caregiver should have to navigate this journey alone," said Nikki K. Lopez, Founder and Board Chair of Caregiver OneCall. "This recognition belongs to every caregiver who trusted us with their story, every partner who believed in this work, and every donor who made it possible."

What's Next

The award will be presented at the 154th APHA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, November 2, 2026. Caregiver OneCall will be honored at the Aging & Public Health Awards Reception alongside other programs recognized for their contributions to the field.

This recognition also comes with national visibility that Caregiver OneCall hopes to use to reach more caregivers who don't yet know help is available, and to open doors with healthcare systems, aging service organizations, and potential partners who want to see this model reach more communities.

Thank You

This work started with one woman caring for her grandmother and realizing the system wasn't built for real life. It has grown into a hotline that has answered hundreds of calls from caregivers across the country who needed someone to pick up.

This award reflects the work of everyone who has been part of that journey: our navigators, our board, our partners, our donors, and above all, the caregivers who called us in their hardest moments and let us walk beside them.

Thank you for believing that no one should face caregiving alone.

Caregiver OneCall is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free, 24/7 caregiver navigation and support services to family caregivers nationwide. Learn more at caregiveronecall.org.