Hello Cath; so sorry you are having work problems as well as caring for your mum.  It sounds as though you work for a company with well-defined sickness procedures - maybe a public sector employer.  I was a manager in a local authority and dealt a lot with sickness issues.  If you feel you cannot give up on your job (even temporarily - Jbains makes a good suggestion if you can do this) will your GP sign you off for a little bit longer?    At the same time difficult as it is you will need to understand your employer's position.  They cannot let long-term sickness run indefinitely without perhaps sending you for a medical examination and having a meeting with you (do you have a trades union representative to help you?)  They have to keep their business going and need to plan how to do this in your absence.  Can I put this bluntly - do you think that when your darling mum does pass over once you have tidied up her affairs you will be able to return to work?  If your doctor does not sign you off again then you could ask for a short period of unpaid leave.  If this is a possibility you should speak to  whoever you have your mortgage with and ask for a short break or reduced payments.  Difficult as it is you need to think as clearly as possible as after  your mum passes over you don't want the hassle of your life and finances having fallen apart.  The best thing would be to have your job to return to and arrangements already made with your mortgage company.  I know this is so hard - my father died in similar circumstances and I was all over the place - he lived 300 miles away.  But I was so pleased I had my job and colleagues to return to and no unmanageable financial problems as I would not have been able to cope.  My best wishes.