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Family caregivers' compassion fatigue in long-term facilities
Beth Perry1, Janice E Dalton, Margaret Edwards
1Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University, Canada.
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:
Narrative data were collected through observation and conversations with five purposively selected family carers.
Findings:
Thematic 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.
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