As an 89-year-old widowed woman, I feel very fortunate that my 50-year-old daughter, Eva, invited me to live with her for the rest of my life. I moved in with Eva when I was 82, and since then, I have broken my wrist, broken both ankles, and spent two weeks in bed with COVID. Eva is my full-time caregiver, as well as a full-time worker.
As I’ve gotten older, my mobility has declined. I now walk with a rollator and cannot do many of the simple things around the house that I have grown so accustomed to, like using a can opener or making myself a meal on the stove. I don’t drive anymore, so I rely on Eva, public transportation or walking to get everywhere I need to go. Eva can’t always take time away from work to be there for me every time I need her, but she certainly tries.
Most of my life, I have been a very capable and independent person, but I find myself needing more and more help as I age. I raised my two daughters under my roof and I was in charge; now I live under Eva’s roof and rely on her support.
Eva is fortunate to have a job with flexibility to work from home. Even then, she sometimes feels stressed about juggling the demand of caregiving for me and the job she loves. She worries she cannot give enough energy to both roles, and I worry about that, too.
There are only so many hours in a day. When I have had health emergencies, the pressures on Eva have been unsustainable.
Across Vermont, there are 70,000 family caregivers like Eva who help their loved ones live and age at home, where they want to be. They are the backbone of a broken long-term care system, saving taxpayer dollars by providing $1.23 billion in unpaid labor annually — most while juggling full- or part-time jobs.
Family caregivers are stepping in to do what’s right. They need and deserve more support, with programs like paid family and medical leave.
In the 2023 legislative session, the Vermont House advanced a strong paid family and medical leave bill to the Senate. The program would offer workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave to welcome a new child, care for a seriously ill loved one, recover from a health emergency and more.
A program like this would offer a lifeline to Vermont’s family caregivers like Eva.
Paid leave would mean my daughter could provide the necessary care for me without worrying about how it will affect her paycheck. It would mean she is less likely to become ill herself from the stress of two full-time jobs. Paid leave would mean she is more likely to return to work with her full energy after she has completed the necessary temporary care I might need.
For aging Vermonters like me, family caregivers and the many others who desperately need this essential program, please pass a strong, paid family and medical leave bill in 2024.
Sophie Quest lives in Burlington.
