Paid Family Leave Benefits Both Employees and Employers
If I’d had paid family leave during my caregiving years, my life and the lives of my loved ones would have been quite different. Social Security and a 401k from my employer would have made my future retirement much more financially comfortable, as well.
Instead of paid family leave, or any family leave during the early years of caring for a chronically ill son, I had to quit my full-time paid employment and work part-time at whatever I could find. Hence, years of very little Social Security accumulation reside in my record.
During much of my elder care time, I was employed by a newspaper as a researcher/librarian. While the company complied with the law for unpaid maternity leave as well as some medical issues, the idea that I could take time off for parent care was not even considered. Since I couldn’t afford to take unpaid leave anyway, I never contested the issue.
Therefore, every hour of vacation that I accumulated went to taking my aging loved ones to medical appointments, attending to them on emergency room runs and simply tending to their needs. Even though, at that time, they were in an excellent nursing home, I still visited at least once a day and took an active role in their care. All of this was done on my vacation or personal time. Yes, I made it work. However, being able to take some paid time off for family care would have made the struggle to be a good caregiver significantly less stressful.
Small businesses can’t spare staff: As with nearly all social issues, this topic has two sides. I’ve been self-employed for a number of years now. This experience helps me understand why many small businesses…
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “For anyone having to walk the last segments of life with a loved one, read this.” …Delores
Shop Silverts Adaptable clothing:
Discover the Difference. EGOSAN – the Top-Rated incontinence brand from Italy. Now Available on Amazon.
