I manage employees in 2 countries while caring for my mom with dementia. FMLA keeps me going.
Vincia Gordon manages two call centers while caring for her mother with dementia. She says FMLA makes balancing both responsibilities possible.
Vincia Gordon, an operational manager for two call centers in Baltimore County, Maryland, manages her employees in two countries while caring for her 92-year-old mother with dementia. She supervises 40 staff members and administers medication to her mother. Gordon takes 480 hours of FMLA annually to balance her career and personal life as a caregiver.
Her mother, Hyacinth Lynch, moved in with Gordon after her father's death in 2020. Lynch's health declined in the summer of 2023, and she was diagnosed with dementia in September 2023. Gordon opposed institutional care, as she believed it would be overcrowded and inadequate for her mother's needs. She consulted A Place for Mom, who connected her with private caregivers who visit between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to engage her mother in cognitive exercises.
Gordon also consults various professionals, including a social worker and occupational therapist. She manages her mother's care, including her medication and blood pressure, while maintaining her professional responsibilities. Gordon relies on FMLA, which provides her with 480 hours of paid leave per year and does not affect her salary.
She uses FMLA in increments of two or three hours, or extends it into days if necessary. Gordon believes that FMLA is crucial for her to maintain her dual roles as a manager and caregiver, and she is committed to keeping her mother with her.
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