About Us
Our Mission
The National Association for Continence is a national, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with incontinence, voiding dysfunction, and related pelvic floor disorders.
NAFC’s purpose is to be the leading source for public education and advocacy about the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatments, and management alternatives for incontinence.
ORGANIZATION PROFILE
NAFC’s objectives are to take the stigma out of incontinence, to promote prevention, to motivate individuals to seek treatment and to provide collaborative advocacy and service for those who are affected by this problem.
This website is designed to provide important education on incontinence conditions and related issues, assist professionals and caregivers in the treatment and management process and create a community where those dealing with incontinence can find information and support to live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
In addition to our online resources, we offer publications and services, including brochures detailing what every woman and man should know about bladder and bowel control, condition-specific booklets to address particular types of incontinence, guides for caregivers and more.
OUR HISTORY
BEGINNINGS
The National Association for Continence was founded in September 1982 by Katherine F. Jeter, EdD. When Jeter first started the National Association for Continence, it was known as Help for Incontinent People or HIP. HIP’s mission was to provide helpful information about the causes and treatments for incontinence to the public and health professionals.
HIGHLIGHTS
The organization and the topic of incontinence drew national attention when more than 35,000 people requested information after Dear Abby wrote about HIP in her popular syndicated column.
In the decades that followed, HIP greatly expanded their outreach and advocacy efforts. The organization published materials on various symptoms and struggles of bladder and bowel concern, established a toll-free hotline, helped create a Bladder Health Council, garnered national press for advocacy efforts with politicians and the FDA, orchestrated the start of Bladder Health Awareness Month and attended and spearheaded many medical and industry conferences.
Because of the elevated stage and national level of leadership HIP provided, the organization changed its name to The National Association for Continence (NAFC) in 1996.
TODAY
Today, NAFC is recognized as the leading incontinence advocacy organization in the nation. We facilitate online forum discussions, publish tips and suggestions to thousands of professional and patient members monthly, drive the discussion of preventive care for incontinence and are establishing a task force to combat the lack of absorbency product standards in the industry.
