“Nearly 60% of caregivers work outside of the home. If you work outside the home and you’re a caregiver, you may begin to feel overwhelmed. If you do, think about taking leave from your job for a period of time.
“Employees covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act may be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year to care for relatives. Ask your human resources office about options for unpaid leave.”
— Mayo Clinic, “Caregiver Stress: Tips for Taking Care of Yourself”
This is the advice from the Mayo Clinic, people: take unpaid leave. I wasn’t eligible for FML (“Is it seriously called ‘FML’?” an incredulous Fiona asked) because I didn’t qualify as a family member. Even if I did – how exactly is unpaid leave supposed to solve anything? Unpaid leave would mean trading temporary relief from overwhelming schedules for financial stress from missing paychecks. FML.
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