Question

In what ways has the Family Medical Leave Act not affected the stresses of informal caregiving?

Answer 1

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA):

- Federal legislation passed in 1993.

- It provides job protection to workers requiring short-term leaves from their jobs for the care of a dependent parent, spouse or child or due to the employee's serious health condition.

- Serious health condition includes illness or injury or condition that requires hospital stay OR continuing treatment by health care provider.
- Ordinary, common health conditions are not serious under the FMLA, i.e. cold, flu, headache is considered a serious health condition.

- It is a Legislation and Policy to Support Family Caregivers.

So FMLA includes:

1. Up to 12 week of unpaid leave
2. For specified family and medical reasons
3. Continued health benefits
4. Job protection
5. prohibits retaliation

Informal caregiving:

- Unpaid assistance provided by friends, family and neighbors.

- Informal caregivers face at least 2 kinds of stressors: primary and secondary.

- These stressors create a sense of caregiver burden.

Primary Stressors:

- Events that derive directly from the elder's illness such as cognitive impairments and associated behavioral problems

Secondary Stressors:

- These are not secondary in terms of their importance, but are so called because they do not arise directly from the older person's illness.

By providing such benefits to the employees, FMLA is not affected by informal stressors which are mentioned above.