Support Groups
FCA facilitates and sponsors several types of support groups, both in person and online.
National Support Groups
- Caregiver Online Support Group
This is an unmoderated group for families, partners, and other caregivers who want a safe place to discuss the stresses, challenges, and rewards of providing care for adults with disorders such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, brain injury, and other chronic debilitating health conditions.
Solicitations and advertisements of ANY kind; academic, commercial, journalistic, or any other reason, are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Are you conducting a research study or clinical trial? Please click here.
This group is in e-mail format. Participants send and receive e-mail to take part in discussions. You can receive your posts all together, in one delivery each day, or you can receive them one-by-one, as they are sent. The choice is yours. It’s fun, easy, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To subscribe to Caregiver Online Support Group, complete the form below and click the submit button.
- FCA Partners with Smart Patients to Support Caregivers
In addition to hosting or co-sponsoring support groups, FCA also partners with Smart Patients to grow and nurture a Caregiver Community where caregivers can share, interact and learn from each other in a safe and supportive environment.
Join the Smart Patients Caregiver Community, ask a question, and support others who can learn from you. Learn more.
- LGBTQ+ Community Support: Caregiving for our Families and Friends
This online support group LGBTQ+ Community Support Caregiving for our Families and Friends offers a place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender caregivers of adults with chronic health problems to discuss the unique issues of caring for their loved ones.
Solicitations and advertisements of ANY kind; academic, commercial, journalistic, or any other reason, are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Are you conducting a Research study or Clinical trial? Please click here.
This group is in e-mail format. Participants send and receive e-mail to take part in discussions. You can receive your posts all together, in one delivery each day, or you can receive them one-by-one, as they are sent. The choice is yours. It’s fun, easy, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To subscribe to LGBTQ+ Community Online Support Group, complete the form below and click the submit button.
San Francisco Bay Area Support Groups
- African American Caregiver Support Group
The African American Support Group meets online Tuesdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm.
Hosted by FCA Family Consultant Norell Wheeler, MPH / MBH, the support group provides a safe space for caregivers to build community, discuss caregiving topics, and share healing self-care practices.
Family caregivers of Black/African descent who care for someone with adult onset neurodegenerative disorder or who have a chronic health condition and are over the age of 60 are invited to participate.
For more information and to sign up, send an email to nwheeler@caregiver.org
- LGBTQ+ Caregiver Support Group
We welcome LGBTQ+ caregivers to join our monthly virtual support group! Connect with others via Zoom in a supportive and inclusive space where we discuss the stresses, challenges, and unique experiences that can come with caring for someone living with a chronic illness.
This group is intended for caregivers supporting a loved one with a chronic health condition, including ongoing physical, medical, or neurological conditions. Together, we provide a space to share experiences, receive support, and connect with others who understand the caregiving journey.
Please note: This is not a dementia-specific support group. If you are primarily seeking support related to caring for someone with dementia or dementia-related challenges, there are other community organizations that offer dementia-focused caregiver support groups and resources. Organizations such as Openhouse and the Alzheimer’s Association may be helpful resources for finding a group that more specifically meets those needs.
Open to LGBTQ+ caregivers in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding counties within the San Francisco Bay Area who are caring for an older adult or another adult living with a chronic illness.
For more information or to register, contact Adriana Sanchez: asanchez@caregiver.org.
In partnership with Openhouse
When: 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 4 to 5:30 p.m. (PT), via Zoom
- Young Adult Caregivers Support Group
Designed for family caregivers under the age of 40 who are caring for someone who is:
- 60 or older with any diagnosis, or
- between the ages of 18-59 with an adult-onset cognitive or neurological impairment.
Meets online via Zoom twice monthly (1st and 3rd Thursdays) from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Zoom login will be provided with registration.
Participants should live in the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, or Santa Clara counties).
To register, contact Intake at (415) 434-3388 x331; bayareaintake@caregiver.org.
- East Bay Support Group (FULL)
This is a monthly group serves caregivers who are caring for someone who is:
- 60 or older with any diagnosis, or
- between the ages of 18-59 with an adult-onset cognitive or neurological impairment.