The Caregiver Who Built the Support System She Needed
At 2 a.m., while much of the world is asleep, millions of caregivers are awake.
They are managing medications, navigating difficult decisions, responding to changes in a loved one’s health, and carrying an emotional weight that often goes unseen.
For many, caregiving happens quietly. There is no formal support system, no easy place to admit when things feel overwhelming, and no guarantee that help will be available when they need it most.
For Tara Hamberger, this reality became personal while caring for her grandmother through dementia. What began as a deeply challenging experience revealed a much larger gap: caregivers were carrying enormous responsibility, yet many lacked a safe and accessible place for support.
That experience led Tara to create RootedCare+—a platform designed to meet caregivers where they already are and provide support through something simple and familiar: a text message.
A solution born from being unseen
Tara Hamberger, Founder & CEO of RootedCare+, pictured with her grandmother—the inspiration behind a platform that helps caregivers feel seen, and supported.
The idea behind RootedCare+ didn’t come from identifying a market opportunity. It came from lived experience.
“It was a mix of frustration and loneliness,” Tara shares. “I had moments where I just needed to vent, say what I was feeling without filtering it—but I didn’t want the shame or judgment that can come with that.”
So she kept much of it to herself.
But over time, Tara realized those feelings weren’t unique. There were countless caregivers experiencing the same isolation—people who didn’t necessarily need another resource list or another system to navigate. They needed a place where they could be honest about what they were carrying.
“That’s really where this started,” she explains. “Not from some big idea but from knowing people need that kind of support, and it just doesn’t exist in a way that feels safe or accessible.”
RootedCare+ was built from that understanding: before people need solutions, they need to feel seen.
Caregiving is emotional and practical—and support must address both
Many caregiving solutions focus on one piece of the experience: emotional support or financial assistance.
But in reality, those challenges are deeply connected.
“The stress usually is tied to something practical—money, time, access, decisions,” Tara explains. “You can’t talk someone down emotionally if the actual problem sitting underneath it is, ‘I can’t afford this’ or ‘I don’t know what to do next.’”
Caregivers often face both realities at the same time.
They may be emotionally exhausted while also trying to figure out how to pay for care, manage appointments, or make decisions for someone they love.
RootedCare+ was intentionally designed around that reality.
The conversation may begin with emotions, but it doesn’t stop there. It can move into practical guidance, resources, and financial support—creating one continuous experience instead of forcing caregivers to search across multiple systems.
Because caregiving itself doesn’t happen in separate categories. Neither should the support.
RootedCare+ ensures caregivers receive compassionate support when they need it most: through a simple text message.
Making the invisible visible
There are more than 53 million unpaid caregivers in the United States, many of whom operate outside traditional healthcare systems.
They often don’t appear in medical records. Their stress may not be discussed during appointments. Their challenges may only become visible when they reach a breaking point.
RootedCare+ aims to change that by creating a consistent connection point.
“Most people supporting someone at home aren’t in any system,” Tara shares. “They’re doing it quietly, and no one sees it until something breaks.”
By meeting caregivers through text, RootedCare+ creates opportunities for people to share what is really happening between healthcare visits.
For healthcare partners, that can provide greater visibility into stress, barriers, and challenges that may otherwise go unnoticed.
For caregivers, it creates something equally important: the feeling that someone is paying attention.
Building the future of care
For RootedCare+, scale isn’t about becoming another complicated platform. It’s about becoming part of the support systems people already trust.
Five years from now, Tara envisions RootedCare+ becoming something caregivers can access through their healthcare provider, health plan, employer, or community organization—without having to search for it when they are already overwhelmed.
“It’s still SMS,” Tara explains. “You text, it responds, it knows you, it checks in. It becomes something people rely on without thinking twice about it.”
The larger goal is a future where caregivers experience less burnout, receive support earlier, and have access to help before challenges become crises.
Because behind every caregiver is a person who also needs care. And that is the heart of RootedCare+.
“This isn’t theory for me,” Tara says. “This came from living it, and it’s still shaped by what we’re seeing every day from real conversations.”
“If someone can reach out at their lowest point and not feel alone—and actually walk away with something that helps—that’s what matters.”
Learn more about RootedCare+ and its mission to support caregivers at: RootedCare+.
Meet the Founder
Tara Hamberger is the Founder & CEO of RootedCare+, an AI-powered platform supporting unpaid family caregivers through real-time check-ins, guidance, and microgrants. Inspired by caring for her grandmother through dementia, she's building a more human approach to caregiving support.
