Combating Compassion Fatigue

Combating Compassion Fatigue
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Introduction
Often caregivers always have an inherent intention of providing assistance and empathic care to patients or people in need. These needs range from physical, emotional, mental to spiritual. However, as they provide such care, they place themselves at risk and end up becoming the victims of stress that is occasioned by the constant pressure of meeting the needs of these patients whether in the family or hospital setting. This pressure piles up and combines with other external factors and the caregivers in the long-run develop Compassion Fatigue. This condition affects the physical and emotional health of the caregiver, satisfaction in care provision, and the productivity of the caregiver. In extreme cases, it affects the caregiver’s ability to provide quality and empathic care that may result into termination for caring for these patients.
Definition
Several definitions of compassion fatigue exist; however, the first definition of the condition was from a nurse who described it while working with personnel in an emergency room. The nurse identified compassion fatigue as a unique type of burnout affecting the roles of caregivers (Lombardo & Eyre, 2011). Compassion Fatigue is a combined physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental depletion experienced by caregivers and is associated with provision of care to patients having significant emotional pain and discomfort and physical distress (Anewalt, 2009). Apart from home care providers, compassion fatigue has been described among caregivers for cancer patients, personnel in emergency rooms, chaplains, and first responders. It impacts the caregiver’s ability to provide special empathic care as in the caregiving process; the caregivers experience pain and patients of families (Lombardo & Eyre, 2011).
Compassion Fatigue Process
Compassion Fatigue as a process is cumulative and progressive influenced by three factors that are interaction with patients, use of caregiver’s resources, and stress exposure. It is divided into three stages with the first-stage being compassion discomfort. This is a change that is temporary and is reversible by rest. The symptoms here include decreased enthusiasm, weariness, and weakened attention (Bryant, 2011). If this is ignored, it progresses to stage two that is compassion stress. Here, the levels of stress increase and the levels of endurance decrease. The symptoms here include loss of strength, irritability, reduced performance, and impaired concentration (Bryant, 2011). Finally, is the compassion fatigue stage. Caregivers who reach this stage have a decreased likelihood to recover their care provision abilities completely. The caregiver here feels apathetic or indifferent and desire to quit and develop poor judgment. The duration of progress through the three stages of compassion fatigue is unknown and varies from person to person. This variation occurs due to the differences in each caregiver’s personal resources and resilience capacity (Bryant, 2011).
Figure 1: Compassion Fatigue Process
Causes & Symptoms
The causes of compulsion fatigue are numerous and they include continuous and prolonged exposure to stressful events and situations, other-directedness, unresolved past trauma and pain, and unhealthy professional/personal coping skills. They also include providing care for other while experiencing burnout, lack of personal boundaries, and an overdeveloped sense of responsibility (Figley, 2013).
symptoms in compassion fatigue may be intrusive that is images and thoughts that are associated with the patients experiences, an obsessive desire to help clients, work issues affecting personal time, and thoughts and perceptions of inadequacy as a caregiver. In addition, there may be a sense of specialness or entitlement, and perception of the world as having victims and perpetrators. The symptoms may be in the form of avoidance that is silencing response, lethargy, loss of energy, loss of sense of competency, isolation, addiction, and dysfunctions in relationships. The arousal symptoms include hyperactivity, heightened anxiety, increased anger, sleep disturbance, concentration problems, weight and appetite changes, and somatic symptoms. Finally, spiritual symptoms include doubting one’s religious values beliefs and values, anger or bitterness towards god, and withdrawal from fellowship (Figley, 2013).
Combat Strategies
Compassion fatigue has only been most recently been defined, therefore, very little is known on what useful interventions are useful for its prevention. The current available research provides strategies that are effective in the preve...