Several bills continue to move through the California state legislature. If passed, these bills could impact Alzheimer’s family caregivers.

This bill will expand the definition of “family member” for the state’s Paid Family Leave program to allow workers to take time off to care for a seriously ill designated person.

While we traditionally think of caregivers as a spouse or an adult child, the diversity of caregivers we work with varys from cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews to chosen family members, neighbors, and friends. Oftentimes it is a network of friends and family who provide care, especially as the disease progresses and the need for care increases. This bill would allow more family caregivers to access important worker protections and allow them to provide that care to their loved one.

This bill will add family caregiver status as a protected characteristic under the Fair Employment and Housing Acts’ anti-discrimination provision.
Alzheimer’s family caregivers face higher levels of physical, mental, and financial stress than other caregivers. These caregivers may need flexibility in their work schedules, have their own increasing mental and physical healthcare needs, and may need to continue working to financially support their family member with Alzheimer’s disease.

Adding family caregiver as a protected characteristic would give protection to the millions of Alzheimer’s caregivers in our state who face discrimination in the workplace due to their responsibility of caregiving. Caregivers are the backbone of our healthcare system. They should not have to worry about being demoted, losing their job, or being forced into an early retirement.

This bill will increase the amount of paid sick leave employers are required to provide to employees from three to seven days. It would also allow employees to carry over seven sick days to the following year. These expanded protections could give working Alzheimer’s family caregivers more flexibility and access to paid time off to care for their family.

These bills are also supported by the California Coalition on Family Caregiving. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles is proud to be a steering committee member of this coalition.

Read more about the coalition’s priority bills:
Read more about our California advocacy efforts.