Paid Family Medical Leave

 This blog entry is from my friend Lynda Everman. I am sharing her words below:

"Paid Family Medical Leave will soon be before the Senate. I've sent an email to our AL Senators urging them to pass the proposed legislation. This is the email I sent. Please feel free to use it to help draft your own:

I am writing as a former caregiver for my dad and late husband, both of whom had Alzheimer’s. This was not at all easy and lasted for 18 years, forcing me into an early retirement and loss of income. Today there are over 11 million caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s who find themselves in this same unenviable position.

Critical help in the form of paid family and medical leave for caregivers is closer than ever, with four weeks of paid leave included in the Build Back Better bill, approved in November by the U.S. House of Representatives. Paid leave will soon be before the Senate and needs to be addressed now or the ravaging impact on family caregivers will continue.

When a family member is diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, the effect on families is overwhelming—financially, physically, emotionally. Paid leave could help caregivers better navigate this unwelcome journey. It is not a full-scale panacea, but it is critical in making this turbulent voyage more secure. The Senate should move with haste to pass this much-needed and long-overdue legislation."