Congress Should Act: Paid Leave for Caregivers Essential in the Battle with Dementia

“I got plenty of money; it’s just tied up in debt,” as the saying goes. Humor often has a way of getting to the point. The debt and associated burdens are mounting at staggering levels for caregivers of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s, other forms of dementia, and other serious illnesses. There are an estimated 53 million family caregivers in the United States—16 million providing dementia care who too often are caught in an unsustainable conflict between caregiving and work responsibilities. I know this path well—first as a family caregiver, and now as one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and being helped by