Document Type
Capstone
Abstract
Compassion fatigue has been defined as feelings of anger, inefficacy, apathy, and depression, resulting from a caregiver's inability to cope with devastating stress (Day, 2015). Historically this topic has been explored in the realm of professions such as nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, and doctors but little research has been performed on the prevalence and effects of compassion fatigue within familial caregivers. As aging in place and deinstitutionalizing elderly adults becomes more common, the risk for compassion fatigue within familial caregivers increases. Unfortunately, the lack of research is indicative of a lack of action to address this potential health risk. Occupational therapists are uniquely equipped to identify and address compassion fatigue within familial caregivers, ultimately improving the overall care our clients receive. This project aims to identify common emotions and situations experienced by both professional caregivers and familial caregivers, identify the level of knowledge and understanding of familial caregiver compassion fatigue within the occupational therapy profession, and develop a screening tool that can be used by occupational therapists across multiple settings to identify familial caregivers who are at risk or who have developed compassion fatigue. This project consisted of a 3-step process including a comprehensive literature review, developing a screening tool through analysis of the data compiled, and an in-service with a pretest/posttest survey to assess therapist confidence in their prior knowledge and openness to new material. The study ultimately finds evidence of compassion fatigue within familial caregivers which effects both the client and the caregiver. It also finds that occupational therapists are open to addressing compassion fatigue within familial caregivers of their clients, but they are not interested in utilizing a new screening tool to identify the presence of compassion fatigue.
Publication Date
4-2020
Recommended Citation
Luther, Adam, "Identifying Indicators of Compassion Fatigue: Bridging the Gap from Professional to Familial Caregivers" (2020). MOT Student Capstones. 143.
https://riches.cabarruscollege.edu/mot-student-capstones/143
