You will find that breaks in a person's employment don't mean as much as they used to. Having one or two jobs that make a 40 year career is a thing of the past. I am sure you know people who who roam from job to job every few years. It is becoming more and more the norm too as you move up the occupational ladder. You can blend in easily as that type of person....meaning....no explanation needed. If you ever get called out on it, all you have to say was that there was a family issue and no further explanation needed. You do not need to tell anyone that you were the family member that had the issue. As for stuttering, I have always told my prospective employer that what you see is what you get. I am a stutterer. There are good days and there are not so good days. The honesty is almost always appreciated. It serves two purposes -- it is a good ice breaker. And it makes it less awkward when you begin to stutter (and you will). I can remember that I was with a person once, who was a stranger to me, and had never been around a stutterer before. They thought I was having a stroke.