John,

My mom is a hospice nurse, and she’s starting to worry about coronavirus.

It’s understandable — she’s over 65, and older adults are most susceptible to the virus. But she’s not only worried about herself; she’s worried about the care workers on her team.

They’re in contact every day with people who have weakened immune systems, providing essential services to those who want to age with dignity in their homes and community.

Yet these same workers often work without benefits like paid vacation or sick time. This means they cannot take time off to care for themselves or their families and are under enormous pressure to go to work to support their families. This includes at times when they are putting themselves at risk of catching or spreading the virus.

Coronavirus is a growing health crisis, and it’s also a workplace crisis for care workers.

Care workers — and all workers — need access to paid time off and caregiving help like Universal Family Care, which gives people the flexibility to care for themselves and their family when a crisis hits, whether it’s personal or global. Will you add your name to the UFC Pledge today?

Add your name to say, "I will fight for Universal Family Care and I believe that our country should start valuing and supporting caregivers!"

In times of crisis, like a natural disaster or a pandemic, it’s often older people, people with disabilities and the people who care for them who are most vulnerable and impacted.

How we care for one another comes into sharp focus during moments like this. But in reality, families experience grave challenges caused by a lack of robust care infrastructure every day. By investing in how we care for our families, we also invest in our daily resilience and our wider communities’ preparedness for times like this.

The best way to avert crises like what’s happening now is to be prepared. That means investing in our care infrastructure so that no matter what you look like, who you work for, or what your zip code is, we all have meaningful supports and plans already in place. Universal Family Care is essential for the day-to-day needs of millions of families, and it provides a base level of support for when times get rough.

We need UFC. Will you add your name to the UFC Pledge today?

Add your name today.

With care,

Charlotte Dodge
Senior Policy Associate
Caring Across Generations

PS — Worried about coronavirus and your caregiving responsibilities? Here are some good tips we found that caregivers can use to be prepared.