Caregiver Medical Leave – A Critical Need That Is Beginning To Be Addressed

We’re nearing the end of November, which has been National Family Caregivers Month. The month focuses on recognizing the role of caregivers – who give considerable time and energy, often receiving little support.

The month is also a time where discussions around caregiving often start.

There is a desperate for more caregiving policies and support throughout the United States. Current levels of support are often limited, leaving caregivers to largely fend for themselves. 

This creates many challenges. Informal caregivers are often untrained, well out of their depth and may be using their own financial resources to support their family member.

Medical and Financial Challenges of Caregiving

Caregiving is an incredibly unpredictable role. Even when practicing self-care, many caregivers find that they struggle and risk burning out.

You’re supporting for someone with complex health issues, who often cannot take care of their own needs. This gets even more difficult when you’re trying to juggle your own employment at the same time. 

 The employment aspect is a serious challenge.

Even if you’re a part-time caregiver or aren’t caregiving at all, you may find that you need to suddenly take time off to support a family member. 

But, there isn’t the provision. 

Some employers are flexible, giving caregivers the time that they need. Many others aren’t. Even when leave is granted, it is often unpaid and may affect the caregiver’s reputation at work. 

This is a key reason why some caregivers end up decreasing their hours or dropping out of the work force entirely. 

Simply put, the care and support that caregivers need to provide isn’t covered within current workplace rules and regulations. 

The Need for Solutions

One key area under discussion is the idea of caregiver medical leave. 

There is currently a single federal law in place that covers this area – the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The act was passed in 1993 and provides as much as 12 weeks unpaid leave within a 12-month period. 

Eligibility is based upon the individual’s work in the previous year, along with the company that they work for. In practice, about 40% of workers do not have access to leave through FMLA. 

There are some situations where caregivers may receive paid leave. This typically comes through other forms of leave, like sick leave or annual leave. Even so, there is no guarantee for paid leave and many do not receive any payment for the time that they take off work. 

The site American Progress highlights some of the differences with leave. The discussion mostly focuses on parenthood, but the same concepts apply to caregiving as well.

To make matters worse, FMLA only applies to care for what the policy defines as family (parent, child under 18, or spouse). Any other family member, like an adult child, sister, or mother-in-law isn’t covered under the law. 

There are some state-specific policies for leave, but most of these provide unpaid leave. Such patterns suggest an urgent need for solutions.

Paid Caregiver Medical Leave

The United States heavily relies on informal caregivers to provide support for aging seniors. This pattern is only going to increase as the population ages. Indeed, we are already seeing a caregiver crisis due to various factors including demographic changes and the role that immigrants play in caregiving. 

This reliance on caregivers means that there should be much more support than is currently available. 

The topic has been highlighted by AARP Utah, where the agency plans to advocate for state policies that will specifically provide caregiver medical leave. Other discussions highlight the fact that most countries do provide some type of paid leave. 

Why Such Leave Is Critical

While providing paid leave might seem irrational to businesses, it does have advantages, such as decreasing employee turnover and ensuring that employees are more effective when they are working. 

Providing support for caregivers helps ensure that they are able to continue their roles. Without such support, the shortage of caregivers is likely to get more dramatic. The lack of paid leave also increases the chance that people who were once caregivers are impoverished for their own retirement. 

Realistically, many caregivers could not financially afford to take unpaid time off, even if they were eligible to do so. This means that the lack of paid leave puts seniors at risk and means that their family members may not be able to provide the needed support. 

The long-term effects may be even more dramatic. The less we support our caregivers now, the more challenges we will face in future years. 

Research also suggests that paid leave helps caregivers to remain connected to the workforce, supporting labor force participation in the long-term.