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Know these 8 Family and Medical Leave Act Facts
Caring for an Older Parent? Know these 8 Family and Medical Leave Act Facts
As your parents age, you may find yourself devoting more time to driving them to doctors’ appointments, helping with daily living activities or managing in-home care services. Meanwhile, if you’re still working, you also have to answer to the boss when it comes to taking time off to help your aging parents.
That’s a tough position for all concerned, but take heart that you’re not the first person to juggle a job while trying to be there for Mom or Dad. Nearly 42 million Americans are caregivers for an adult over age 50, according to “Caregiving in the U.S.,” a 2020 report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.[1] Around 50% of those surveyed for the report care for a parent or parent-in-law.
Acting as a caregiver for an older parent is so common that there’s a federal law — the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) — designed to make sure you keep your job if you need time off to care for a parent or other immediate relative with health issues.
