Mary is a freelance writer who has specialized in covering health, medicine and scientific research. She’s been a writer for half her life, or 30 years, and was initially drawn to journalism to shine more sunlight on women’s health issues and domestic violence. She has also written about music and has previously worked as a science writer at the University of Washington and Colorado State University (CSU). Read More
Chicago-area employers offer a wide range of benefits and support for caregivers
Fact checked by Ros Lederman
The number of caregivers in the United States has increased dramatically in the past 10 years. In 2025, about 63 million Americans provided ongoing care to adults or children with medical conditions or disabilities. That’s a 45% increase from 2015, when the figure was 43.5 million, according to a report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
With nearly one-quarter of all adults serving as caregivers, the report’s authors noted that support for family caregivers who are also working has evolved. At least 13 states and the District of Columbia now offer paid family leave programs. The report also found that some 70% of working-age caregivers remain employed while providing care.
Workplace benefits often include remote work options, paid sick leave, and flexible hours to accommodate medical appointments. Many companies also offer support programs, such as mental health care through an Employee Assistance Program.
Earlier this year, Caregiving magazine spoke with caregivers at a national laboratory and a top pharmaceutical company about the support they receive. We also interviewed a human resources leader from a global tech giant. Their experiences provide a blueprint for employers looking to expand support and offer hope for caregivers who may not realize the types of help available.
And just like that — you’re a caregiver
Jade Irving works as a study management associate manager at AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Chicago that employs about 57,000 people worldwide. She abruptly had to figure out how to balance that work when she became a caregiver for her mother a few years ago.
“Caregiving kind of dropped into my life out of nowhere three years ago, when my mom, who was living in another state, had a sudden stroke,” Irving says. “She became paralyzed on one side of her body and needed help with everyday tasks.”
Before her mother began using a wheelchair and needed more support, Irving knew little about AbbVie’s resources. “But suddenly they all became a lifeline,” she says.
AbbVie’s caregiver leave program allows U.S. employees to take up to four weeks of paid time off and eight weeks of unpaid time off. The benefit covers care for spouses, domestic partners, children, parents, in-laws, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings.
This leave can be used immediately after the first day of hire and offers broader benefits than the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal program that provides 12 weeks of leave in 12 months but only applies to caring for an employee’s spouse, child, or parent. To access FMLA, employees must also have worked at least 12 months on the job. In some cases, AbbVie’s caregiver leave runs concurrently with the FMLA.
Lesli Marasco, former vice president of global benefits and well-being at AbbVie, says the company also provides workplace flexibility, healthcare navigation, financial planning, and legal advice. Peer support is also available through monthly employee resource group meetings.
More than 800 AbbVie employees in the U.S. used caregiver leave in 2025, Marasco says.
When Irving’s mother was first hospitalized, Irving used paid leave to travel to her. “That time was critical for both of us,” she says. “It gave me an opportunity to arrange a permanent move to be closer to her.”
Irving, now a South Carolina resident, recently used the company’s partnership with Bright Horizons to book on-site care for a fraction of the typical cost while attending a training session in San Diego.
“I was able to bring my mom with me, knowing she’d have professional, friendly, quality care while I was able to still focus on work,” Irving says. “It was honestly a game-changer.”
Choosing a career based on benefits
Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, offers a Parenting and Caregiving Employee Resource Group and on-site counselors. The lab, which has nearly 4,000 employees, focuses on research in biosciences, physics, and X-ray science.
Caregivers at the lab can access up to 20 days of sick leave annually to assist family members with medical appointments. These benefits played a major role when Vivian Sullivan, PhD, decided to move her parents from Pennsylvania to the Chicago area last year.
Sullivan, a research and development program manager at Argonne where she’s worked for nearly 25 years, serves on the board of the caregiver resource group. As a relatively new caregiver, she says knowing the benefits are available provides her with peace of mind.
“If and when they truly are in the hospital or sick, I will have that benefit available to take time off for them,” she says.
Sullivan holds a doctorate in chemistry and has worked in a hybrid role for years. She says the flexibility allows her to “flex” her time for short doctor visits or work via a VPN from a waiting room.
Andrew Castiglioni, PhD, a principal biologist at the lab, used similar benefits to care for his mother in Boston after she received a terminal cancer diagnosis two years ago. Castiglioni utilized telework, family sick leave, and FMLA to travel between Chicago and Boston, often driving his mother to chemotherapy.
Leading up to his mother’s death a few months ago, Castiglioni says the lab’s mental health services were vital during her final days. He spent months discussing the stress of caregiving and end-of-life care with counselors.
Recognizing a growing need
Fiona Conway, director of benefits, absence, accommodations, and risk programs at Google, says companies are increasingly recognizing the rise of “dual caregiving” — managing care for children and parents simultaneously.
Google employs approximately 2,500 people in Chicago and 191,000 worldwide. Its benefits package includes eight weeks of fully paid leave, 20 days of subsidized backup care, and access to professional care coordinators who help navigate a range of care-related needs, including Medicare or Medicaid paperwork.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all,” Conway says. “We recognize that a suite of different programs is what’s needed to help Googlers meet their individual preferences.”
