GoodHeart |Veneish Wallace helps families care for ageing loved ones

For Veneish Wallace, caring for Wilmington’s ageing population is more than a community effort. It is a personal mission to ensure families have the knowledge and skills to care for their elderly loved ones safely.

After recognising a critical gap in caregiving support in her hometown of Wilmington, St Thomas, Wallace established Eliza Care, an initiative that provides families with practical training to better care for ageing relatives. Her work has since earned her a place among the four finalists in the 2026 Supreme Hero competition.

Eliza Care was born out of Wallace’s observation that many elderly residents in Wilmington lacked proper care, particularly in households where families could not afford professional assistance. She recognised that while many relatives wanted to care for their ageing loved ones, they lacked the basic training to do so safely and effectively. This included knowledge of personal hygiene, patient transfers, the proper handling of expired medications and specialised care for chronic conditions such as diabetes.

“When I see that the population is ageing and there is nobody necessarily there to care for them I came up with this initiative because I want them to know that there are persons who actually care,” Wallace explained.

Through Eliza Care, Wallace works to bridge this gap by taking practical caregiving knowledge directly into homes. One example involved a community member whose diabetic mother was at serious risk of losing her feet. With Wallace’s guidance, the daughter learned how to monitor blood sugar levels, manage dietary portions, maintain a sterile environment for ulcers and take important preventative measures.

For Wallace, helping families develop these skills is an indescribably rewarding experience. “It’s something that feels so fulfilling. Money does not give you that passion,” she shared. “It feels like when you just give birth to your baby and you’re seeing a baby for the first time ... it allows me to understand how important it is for you to care for your loved one and having the knowledge and the skill set to do so.”

To date, Eliza Care has reached approximately 30 households and trained more than 40 family caregivers. Wallace said she finds the scale of the initiative’s reach both surprising and humbling. She believes there is no price that can be placed on helping families with limited financial resources manage diagnoses, prevent illness and support the recovery of their loved ones.

The work, however, comes with an emotional toll. Because Eliza Care operates at the grassroots level, Wallace often cares for people she has known throughout her life. “The hardest part emotionally is the fact of knowing them personally,” Wallace admitted. “It’s a different connection emotionally when it’s people who you actually know and grew up with”.

Despite these challenges, Wallace’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Members of her community nominated her for the Supreme Hero competition, a recognition that came as a surprise. “I was very surprised because of the type of person that I am. I just do things from the heart,” she noted.

Looking ahead, Wallace hopes to use the Supreme Hero grant to establish a permanent community health foundation in Wilmington. She envisions a space where families can access blood pressure checks, medical assessments and specialised caregiving training without worrying about the cost. Beyond Wilmington, she hopes to see the model of accessible caregiver education adopted in other communities across Jamaica.

Voting for the 2026 Supreme Community Hero title closes on November 27. Votes can be cast at sv-foundation.com.

goodheart@gleanerjm.com