Family Caregiver Alliance / National Center On Caregiving

Mission: FCA supports and sustains the essential work of families nationwide who are caring for loved ones with chronic disabling health conditions. Who We Are Founded in 1977, Family Caregiver Alliance was the first community-based nonprofit organization in the country to address the needs of families and friends providing long-term care at home. Long recognized as a pioneer in health services, FCA offers programs at national, state, and local levels to support and sustain caregivers. History More than 40 years ago a small task force of families and community leaders in San Francisco came together to create support services for those struggling to provide long-term care for a loved one who did not "fit" into traditional health systems: adults suffering from Alzheimer's disease, stroke, Parkinson's, traumatic brain injury, and other debilitating disorders. The diagnoses were different, but the families shared common challenges: isolation, lack of information, few community resources, and drastic changes in family roles. The task force’s early efforts had three lasting results: the formation of Family Caregiver Alliance; the genesis of California’s statewide network of Caregiver Resource Centers; and the beginnings of a national movement to recognize the immense contribution of family caregivers to the long-term health care of the ill and elderly in our country.