More than a third of Americans, 35 percent, reported they had significant elder-care responsibilities

Option comes with strings for all involved OUR FAMILIES by JEREMY D. BONFIGLIO
Tribune Staff Writer

Suddenly last year, White, an administrative assistant at the University of Notre Dame, found herself drowning in the logistics of balancing a job while moving her ailing 74-year-old father the 220 miles from his Amherst, Ohio, condo to her Granger home.She needed to find new doctors, learn about his treatments, and provide home care after surgery that removed half of his right lung.

The Family and Medical Leave Act, she says, kept her afloat.

Since it was passed into federal law in 1993, FMLA has provided about 50 million eligible workers job security for taking unpaid leave to care for a child, spouse, parent or even themselves.

FMLA resources - To learn more about Family and Medical Leave Act, talk to your employer or write to the U.S. Department of Labor, Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210, call (866) 487-9243 or visit the Web site www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla.

abridged read the entire article here >>