Goleta Resident Amy Stephens Announced as a 2024 Dole Caregiver Fellow

Amy Stephens, a Goleta resident, has been selected by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation as a national advocate for family members and friends caring for a wounded veteran at home. She is now part of the 2024 Class of Dole Caregiver Fellows, which recognizes 15 military and veteran caregivers to represent their peers in local and national advocacy initiatives. The class of fellows will have the opportunity to speak with local and national leaders to share and expand resources for caregivers. Their role is to help bring attention to the tremendous challenges facing America’s more than 5.5 million spouses, parents, family members, and other loved ones who voluntarily provide more than

 $14 billion annually in care for wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. 

Amy Stephens is a caregiver for her father Colonel Thomas Stephens, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease due to exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. She recounted her experiences leading up to her work with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and her hopes as an advocate.

Amy Stephens was adopted by her parents in El Salvador and had moved many times as her father was stationed in different places. Though she didn’t grow up with her older siblings, she expressed that they felt a close connection with one another and were on the same page with regards to care for their parents. Though each sibling has different roles with regards to care, she emphasized “fighting for your parents” as a way of giving back.

Her work with the foundation has just begun, but she noted that working with them just “feels natural.” In fact, her story almost came full circle when her father had coincidentally sat next to Senator Elizabeth Dole on a flight to Seattle when Amy’s apartment had burned down. Dole had written a note to Amy wishing her all the best, and now, Amy is working with the foundation towards better advocacy and resources for veterans and caregivers.

Amy discussed that after the passing of her mother three years ago, she and her siblings knew there would be a transition to them caring for their father and were quick to take immediate next steps. Their mother’s situation, however, gave insight into the medical system to prepare to reach out to resources and support that would aid in caring for their father. But aside from resources directed towards physical health, she also emphasized the importance of mental support for both veterans and caregivers alike.

“Being a caregiver can be lonely. It’s a thankless job,” Amy Stephens said. In addition to the emotional toll that slowly losing a loved one takes on a person, she opened up about her search for mental support through therapists that specialized in different areas. “I learned to really live in the moment. It’s finding peace and being okay with yourself not meeting the mark every time,” she admitted.

She explained that there are many resources available to veterans and caregivers of veterans, but if one doesn’t know about them or are scared to ask, then those resources will often not be given.

One of the greatest challenges Amy faced while caregiving for her father was having to go to L.A. every three months for doctor’s appointments that could only be scheduled in the afternoon. With her father’s condition, the long commute, and the inevitable encounter with traffic, making the trip to L.A. was difficult. After pushing for change and being firm about the toll it was taking on her family, Amy was able to have her father see a VA doctor in Goleta. Though the doctor may end up changing, she spoke of the VA doctors as people who regularly treated her like an equal during these appointments.

She expressed her gratitude towards the foundation, saying how inspiring it is to be a fellow and to hear about the work that other fellows are doing on a day to day basis. “It’s very supportive and I’m not alone in having support.”  

Amy’s work with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation comes from passion and her desire to push for resources and emphasize the need to have a voice that advocates for veterans and caregivers. Not all caregivers have the same access to all the same resources and she expressed her gratitude to the VA for their support in providing care and sharing resources.

Being an Elizabeth Dole Fellow has given Amy a space to communicate with current and previous fellows. The group spaces are a place where she has been able to share different resources, something she often does beyond the scope of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.

The Dole Foundation is currently working to push for the passing of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R. 8371). The act would provide greater access to resources for veterans and caregivers, including enhanced community care access, mental health support, assistance programs, and more. Amy emphasized her support of the bill, as it would encourage more conversations about caregiving and offering the resources that people need.

Amy is currently training to be a fire dispatcher for Santa Barbara County’s new regional fire communications center. On top of this work and training with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, she still is an active caregiver for her father. She continuously reiterated the need to have more advocates who will help to speak on behalf of the many veterans and caregivers who aren’t getting access to the same resources that she works to share with others who are going through, or will soon be going through, a similar situation that she is. Her passion as a caregiver is reflected through her ongoing training as an Elizabeth Dole Fellow as she prepares for next steps in sharing knowledge.

But ultimately, her work is deeply personal. “I’m paying back to my parents,” Amy Stephens said. “It’s an honor. For more information about Amy Stephens and work of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, See hiddenheroes.org/story/amy-stephens.