We care, with care.
AKALAKA connects family, friends, and neighbors who care for loved ones with disabilities to our empowered network of peers. We help with the training, tools, community support, and resources you need to handle life together.
Connect with UsHow We Help Families (With or Without Medicaid)
A Peer Partner Who Truly Understands
Sometimes families don't need another brochure. They need someone who truly gets it. We thoughtfully match you with a Certified Peer Facilitator: a caregiver or disabled adult who has overcome system roadblocks and is trained with tools to guide you step-by-step.
Help Finding Financial Resources
We help you understand and use helpful programs like the NC Innovations Waiver, Lifespan Respite reimbursement, and First in Families community grants to protect your household's finances and secure paid time off.
Proven Stress & Isolation Relief
You are not walking this path alone. Our community groups successfully lower loneliness by 29% and daily stress by 27%. Experience the delight of being heard so you can finally breathe easier.
How We Work with Care Managers & Clinics
We respect your time and your members' needs. AKALAKA is an authorized in-network provider for North Carolina Medicaid and Tailored Plans. We meet families where they are to deliver timely, trusted, and authorized care education.
Frictionless Referrals & Clean Compliance
We provide rapid enrollment into authorized Family Navigation, Natural Supports Education, Consultative Services, and Assistive Technology. We deliver exact time tracking and compliance reporting so you can focus on care, not paperwork.
Thoughtful Bilingual Outreach
Our Certified Peer Facilitators support families natively in both English y español, building profound trust inside community health clinics, schools, and local neighborhoods.
Bridges for Waitlisted Families
We proactively check in with and support families sitting on the Registry of Unmet Needs waitlist, deploying alternative community funding to stop crises and emergency visits before they happen.
How We Partner with Community Funders
Smart Funding for Long-Term System Change
Our services are 100% free to families. We combine authorized Medicaid billing with philanthropic donations to cover all program costs for our members.Every dollar invested in our peer workforce representing bilingual and rural communities creates more than 4x economic boost for families. It helps parents keep their jobs, stabilizes income, and brings dignity back to the household.By training families early, we stop emergencies before they start. This creates over 10x savings for health systems by thoughtfully preventing costly emergency room visits and premature institutionalization.
Words from Our Community
" I spent years learning through trial and error, searching for resources, and advocating without knowing if I was making the right decisions. Having someone who truly understands the caregiving journey gave me hope and reassurance that I was not alone. "
- Care Partner to a daughter with significant disabilities and behavioral needs
" I feel connected to a great resource now. I also feel grounded in the fact that other sibling care partners are facing the same things I am regardless of our stories. I feel much less alone. "
- Care Partner to a sister with lifelong disabilities and medical needs
Experience the AKALAKA Difference Today
Click below to talk with our team, send a seamless professional referral, or join our community networks right now.