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Corral Webb
Tamara Webb
English 1010
April 28, 2016

Position Synthesis
Susan awakens in the morning still exhausted after a restless night of sleep and
immediately feels overwhelmed. There's the report due at work today that she hasn't had time to
prepare, her son's afternoon soccer practice and a school board meeting that night. Susan's also
has to find time for her mother, who's 84-years-old and lives at home alone. Her mother can't
drive anymore, or reach into the cupboard to pull out a cereal box, or even see well enough to
take her correct medication dosages. And today, just like yesterday, there are no easy answers
about how to fit her mom into the never-ending juggling act that, for her, is just a typical day.
This is the life of the family caregiver.
Have you ever found yourself in a caregiver position? A caregiver is anyone who
regularly looks after a parent, child, spouse or other family member or it could be in a more
professional setting like a hospital, nursing home, group home or other similar institution. One in
every four Americans are a family caregiver. A lack of support for the caregiver is one of the
primary reasons for caregiver burnout and it is therefore important to know what signs and
symptoms to watch for and what can be done to treat and prevent caregiver burnout and
compassion fatigue. When a person takes on the role of caregiver they will often get so caught up

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in taking care of others that they forget or do not understand the importance of caring for
themselves. When this happens it can lead to caregiver burnout or compassion fatigue.
Caregiver burnout and compassion fatigue are very similar burnout however is usually
accompanied by physical illness as well as the mental and emotional symptoms that is typical of
compassion fatigue. Caregiver burnout is defined as a state of physical, emotional, and mental
exhaustion that may be accompanied by a change in attitude -- from positive and caring to
negative and unconcerned(Ratini,What is Caregiver Burnout). And Dr. Charles Figley defined
compassion fatigue best when he said, Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those
helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation of those
being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper.(Did
you know?).
Caring for someone can be a very challenging role to take on for anyone. Even with
proper training caregiver burnout is something that needs to be watched for so that some measure
of intervention can be initiated before it causes problems for the caregiver and or the dependant
person requiring care. Some of the causes of caregiver burnout are The emotional strain is the
one of most concern due to the very low chance of recovery and the additional health risks and
complications combine with the chance of early death or potential conflicts with the patient's
family. All these things lead to psychological distress and more particularly burnout.
(Gosseries,O.1493). Other causes include the amount of time spent with patients, high patient
acuity, overcrowding, and problems with administration (Flarity, Gentry, & Mesnikoff, 2013).
It was also noted that other potential causes for caregiver burnout are working conditions , lack
of time to devote to care, inadequate staffing levels and high levels of work-related demands like

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caring for those with cognitive shortcomings and those that are completely dependent on others
for their care.
Now that some of the causes of caregiver burnout have been addressed, you will probably
want to know what are some of the warning signs and symptoms. Lack of energy, sleep problems
(too much or too little), changes in eating habits; weight loss or gain, a feeling of hopelessness,
withdrawing from, or losing interest in, activities you once enjoyed, neglecting your own
physical and emotional needs, feeling like caregiving is controlling your life, becoming
unusually impatient, irritable or argumentativewith the person youre caring for and/or with
others, anxiety about the future, depression or mood swings, difficulty coping with everyday
things, headaches, stomachaches, and other physical problems, lowered resistance to illness ("14
Signs of Caregiver Burnout and How to Prevent It | VITAS Healthcare.") just to name a few but
the list of symptoms or warning signs goes on.
So now you may be wondering what can be done to prevent caregiver burnout because
we all want the best care for our loved ones. Caregivers are not at their best and able to give
exceptional care if they are suffering from compassion fatigue or caregiver burnout. One of the
first possible interventions that could be considered is the option of a caregiver support group
which provides a safe place for caregivers to gather to decompress and share their struggles and
accomplishments as well as a forum to vent their frustrations to others who are having similar
thoughts and experiences and where they can exchange advice, coping suggestions, antics and
other feedback. Even with caregiver support groups it is essential for caregivers to know their
limits and to ensure that they are not only taking care of others but themselves as well. Afterall
the caregiver will be of no use to anyone if they are constantly run down and sick all of the time
not to mention their attitude towards those that they care about often becomes quite negative. It

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is important for caregivers to have the support they need. If they are caring for a family member
they may need more than just a caregiver support group. While support groups are useful tools
some people may need other support from others in the family or they may even need a short
respite. On the other hand the caregivers working in facilities like hospitals and nursing homes
also reach burnout but according to several studies if the caregivers in facilities have good
manager support their level of burnout is significantly lower than those whose managers do not
show appreciation for the work that is being done or offer time and attention to address the
concerns of the caregivers. The prevalence of compassion fatigue and burnout will most likely
continue to grow unless further strategies and solutions are made available to decrease the
severity. Compassion fatigue and burnout may have severe professional consequences, such as
affecting the ability to care for others (Boyle, 2011; Sabo, 2011; Wisniewski, 2011). A positive,
supportive manager is more likely to have nurses who have lower levels of burnout. Nurse
leaders must become cognizant of nurses who are at higher risk for compassion fatigue and
burnout and have a positive relationship with them in order to appropriately counsel and
communicate with them. These leaders are crucial in the successful development of strong,
positive, professional practice environments (Laposa, Alden, & Fullerton, 2003). By building a
supportive environment, perhaps the early recognition of compassion fatigue and burnout in
nurses and providing adequate manager support may aid in the retention of knowledgeable,
caring, experienced nurses. Healthy, happy work environments that include manager support,
shared decision making, and recognizing nurses contributions to practice are precisely
associated with increased nurse retention, reduced staff turnover, and increased job satisfaction
(American Organization of Nurse Executives, 2003; Leiter & Laschinger, 2006).

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It has been my experience that a good support system is essential for every caregiver to
be at their best. It doesnt matter how caring, loving and compassionate they are if they are
pushed to their limits for too long anyone would break. It is when a caregiver is so consumed
with everyone else's needs and wants that they forget to take the time to take care of themselves.
Caregivers need to be getting plenty of rest and eating a healthy diet and it is also equally
important for them to get sufficient exercise. Exercise helps to keep people happy. It is when
caregivers reach burnout that those that they are caring for are at the most risk for abuse and
neglect by their caregiver. That is just one more reason why it is crucial for all caregivers to have
a good support system so that if someone sees that they are reaching burnout they can offer them
help so that they can take a break to recharge or let someone else take over for a day or two while
they take care of themselves.
A recent stress test conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care network demonstrated
that of the family caregivers who participated, 77 percent reported their aging loved one's needs
to be overwhelming, 90 percent said they have episodes of feeling anxious or irritable, 77
percent say caregiving is taking a toll on their family lives, and 56 percent seem to become ill
more frequently.
Susan is beginning to show signs of caregiver burnout. Things like waking up exhausted,
not resting well while trying to sleep having anxiety and depression about all of her
responsibilities. Not to mention that her performance at work is suffering with her not having
time to prepare the report that she is expected to present at work today. Susan needs some help
and support. This could mean that one of her siblings takes over care of her mother for a week or
so, or maybe she takes some time off of work or maybe she could possibly even hire someone to
come in once or twice a week to help out with her mother. Whatever Susan decides, she will

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need to figure out a way to let others help her before she becomes too ill to care for her family at
all. Susan like so many caregivers is trying to do what is best for those she loves but
unfortunately that often comes at a cost. Burnout is often preventable as well as treatable. There
are a plethora of community resources out there to help combat caregiver burnout and
compassion fatigue.
The next time you have the opportunity to become a caregiver or are part of someone
elses support group you know how important it is to ensure that yourself or someone else does
not reach burnout for their own health and safety as well as the health and safety of whom they
are caring for.

Works Cited
14 Signs of Caregiver Burnout and How to Prevent It | VITAS Healthcare. VITAS. N.d. Web.
21 Apr. 2016

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American Organization of Nurse Executives. (2003). Healthy work environments, volume II:
Striving for excellence. Retrieved from http://www.aone.org/aone/keyissues/hweexcellence.html

Boyle, D. A. (2011). Countering compassion fatigue: A requisite nursing agenda. Online Journal
of Issues in Nursing, 16(1), 116.

"Did You Know?" Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project. Healthy Caregiving, LLC., 2010,
Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

Flarity, K., Gentry J. E., & Mesnikoff, N. (2013). The effectiveness of an educational program on
preventing and treating compassion fatigue in emergency nurses. Advanced Emergency Nursing
Journal, 35(3), 247258.

Gosseries, O., A. Demertzi, D. Ledoux, M.-A. Bruno, A. Vanhaudenhuyse, A. Thibaut, S.

Laureys, and C. Schnakers. "Burnout in Healthcare Workers Managing Chronic Patients with
Disorders of Consciousness." Brain Injury 26.12 (2012): 1493-499. Web.
Ratini, Melinda. "What Is Caregiver Burnout? - WebMD." WebMD. WebMD, 13 Aug. 2014.
Web. 19 Apr. 2016.