The Caregiver's Journal is the show where we are sharing the caregiving experiences, stories, and wisdom of family caregivers.

Chapter 3 - "The Unexpected Crisis":

In this journal entry, we welcomed Angelena Taylor, Debbie Weiss, and RoxAnne Daignault who shared their stories and experiences on "The Unexpected Crisis".

Angelena Taylor is a proud daughter, military caregiver, cat mom, world traveler, and reigning Ms. USA Ambassador. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Angelena works part-time as a behavior analyst but her most prominent and favorite role to date has been as a caregiver for over 8 years to her father Benjamin who is a stroke survivor and veteran. Becoming a caregiver at the age of 28 without much assistance or support birthed Angelena's passion for advocating for her fellow caregivers and restructuring the care infrastructure.

She has been heavily involved as a fellow with organizations such as Caring Across Generations and The Elizabeth Dole Foundation where she has been able to connect with hundreds of other caregivers, collaborate with elected officials, and more. Featured in The New York Times and on The Tamron Hall Show, Angelena’s story is one of 53 million caregivers (and estimated 5.5 million military caregivers) in the USA with the special redemption song of winning the prestigious title of Ms. USA Ambassador 2023.

Angelena created Crown the Caregiver as a platform of awareness and advocacy in the caregiving community and plans to launch services as a Certified Caregiving Specialist soon.

Debbie Weiss became a family caregiver at 17 after her father’s massive stroke. Her caregiving experience intensified after her son’s diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder and then ADHD, depression and anxiety and after her husband became permanently disabled. Over the last decade, Debbie learned to balance caring for her family with taking care of herself. Even after losing her husband in 2022, she’s still here, caring for her boys, navigating widowhood, but also living life on her terms.

RoxAnne Daignault is the parent of a child who has struggled with mental illness for over 17 years and is now an independent adult successfully living on their own. She spent much of her time attending support groups, workshops, and courses related to mental health, coaching, and supporting other caregivers in search of finding a community that she could connect with on these challenges.

She has spoken at various event about her experiences, notably the Vancouver Mental Health Conference in 2013 and most recently the Two-Eyed Seeing Conference in 2023. She now shares my expertise and creating an environment of peer support, education and empowerment with other parents and caregivers through organizations that she partners with; Parent’s for Children’s Mental Health, Firefly, Lake of the Woods District Hospital and Canadian Mental Health Association Fort Frances, so that others can find a sense of belonging and experience the same sense of community that she found when it mattered most.

The Caregiver's Journal is hosted by Lance A. Slatton & Denise M. Brown.

Visit the Official Website of The Caregiver's Journal:

https://thecaregiversjournalpodcast.com

Visit the Official Website of All Home Care Matters:

https://www.allhomecarematters.com

Visit Lance A. Slatton's Official Website:

https://www.lanceaslatton.com

Visit Denise M. Brown's Official Website:

https://join.caringourway.com/