Bay Area Caregiver Resource Center

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)

Offers a comprehensive range of services for family, partners, friends and others concerned with or caring for a brain impaired adult.

Description:

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) as the Bay Area Caregiver Resource Center, offers direct, comprehensive services for caregivers (partners/spouses, family, and friends) of adults who became cognitively impaired, due to illness or injury, after age 18. Diagnoses served include Alzheimer's disease, stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Scleroses (ALS), and others. Offers information and referral regarding caregiver issues, brain impairing conditions, community resources, and public awareness, education and training. In some counties, FCA also provides services to caregivers of adults age 60 or over (with or without cognitive impairment) and to adults age 59 or under with demintia (not including stroke) through funding from the National Family Caregiver Support Program administered locally through Area Agencies on Aging. Long-term care planning services include: individual and family consultation in the home regarding the client's caregiving situation; legal consultation; counseling; respite, Link2Care, an on-line caregiver support services program; a comprehensive Web site; an on-line support group for all caregivers, an on-line group for Huntington's caregivers, and an on-line group for Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) caregivers; workshops and classes that focus on relieving caregiver stress by teaching caregivers new skills for interacting with people with dementia and caregiver self care. Also offers professional training, conferences, publications, in-service trainings to other professionals, and technical assistance. Publishes fact sheets in English, Spanish and Chinese on specific brain impairing illnesses, legal issues, in-home care, community resources, and caregiver issues. Also publishes three fact sheets focusing on the needs of LGBT caregivers. Produces UPDATE, an award-winning quarterly newsletter, which is also available on-line. The National Center on Caregiving is a program that advocates for caregivers, as well as provides information and conducts research, at the national level, and works to affect policy by supporting legislation that will improve awareness and availability of services to people taking care of family or friends with cognitive impairment, or who are elderly and frail.

Location

Public Transit:

MUNI - Market Street lines, 2 Clement, 3 Jackson, 4 Sutter, 38 Geary. BART - Montgomery Street Station within 2 blocks.

Service Options

Languages Spoken:

Mandarin
Spanish

Accessibility Options:

Disabled Restroom
Elevator
Wheelchair

Services

Fees:

Most services are free; others vary according to income or are low cost. Respite care programs require co-payment. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

Audience:

Caregivers of adults with adult onset brain impairment (e.g., Alzheimer's, dementia, Huntington's, Parkinson's, stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury). In some counties, caregivers of any adult age 60 or over or age 59 or under with dementia (does not include stroke)

Eligibility:

None for telephone resource consultation and referrals

How to Apply:

Apply by phone.

Service Wait Estimate:

Waiting list for respite services.

Service Areas:

Alameda County
Contra Costa County
Marin County
San Francisco County
San Mateo County
Santa Clara County