Family caregivers' compassion fatigue in long-term facilities

A Canadian study offers staff in the UK insight into the feelings of hopelessness and sadness that can engulf relatives assisting with care, say Beth Perry and colleagues

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the presence of compassion fatigue in family carers who assist staff with care of older relatives in long-term settings.

Method: arrative data were collected through observation and conversations with five purposively selected family carers.

Findings: hematic and poetic analysis suggest that family carers exhibit symptoms associated in the literature with compassion fatigue in nurses and other healthcare professionals. Two major themes emerged: role engulfment and enveloping sadness.

Conclusion: Nurses working in long-term care settings should educate family carers about compassion fatigue, recognise its presence in them and provide support to family carers experiencing the condition.