Caregiver Compassion Fatigue

Caregivers  |  April 26, 2021

Caregiver Compassion Fatigue: What It Is and How to Fight It

Caregiver Compassion Fatigue | We’ve all heard of the Mother Teresa Effect. But did you know that Mother Teresa also knew about the downsides of dedicating her life to helping others? The term “compassion fatigue” wasn’t coined until the 1980s, but Mother Teresa understood how dangerous it could be long before that. She made sure the nuns working with her took time off every few years to rest and recuperate.

That’s because we caregivers can take on the pain and suffering of the people we help. Unlike burnout, which comes on slowly, caregiver compassion fatigue can be brought on suddenly. Compassion fatigue, also known as vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress, triggers because the pain and suffering of someone else can become a traumatic event for us personally.

It can in turn trigger a host of symptoms including difficulty sleeping, exhaustion, nightmares, headaches, and perhaps most alarming, increased substance use.

But there are ways to fight caregiver compassion fatigue:

1. Mindfulness
2. Emotional Self Care
3. Practical Self Care

The first step, as always, is recognizing that caregiver compassion fatigue may be affecting you. Learn more about it on the Think Aging blog.

Comfort Keepers® Georgian Triangle Can Help with Interactive Caregiving™

If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your aging loved ones we can help. Comfort Keepers®’s trained caregivers help provide senior clients with the highest quality of life possible to keep them happy and healthy at home. Our Interactive Caregiving™ provides a system of care that addresses safety, nutrition, mind, body, and activities of daily living (ADLs).

What’s more, our trained caregivers are selected with one specific quality in mind: empathy. Care that is empathetic is care that starts in the heart, and it allows us to meet our client’s exact needs. Learn more about our unique service offering Dementia Care and Palliative Care by contacting the Comfort Keepers Georgian Triangle office.

Comfort Keepers Georgian Triangle, is pleased to announce that we are a recipient of Accreditation Canada’s, Accreditation Primer Award. Accreditation is an intensive process in which an organization’s processes, policies, and procedures are examined by industry experts against a set of quality standards. To achieve accredited status, Comfort Keepers offices met or exceeded the rigorous standards for Home Care companies, as defined by Accreditation Canada. 

If you live in the Collingwood, Midland, Owen Sound area, contact Comfort Keepers at (705) 293-5553, or email us at georgiantriangle@comfortkeepers.ca. Comfort Keepers Georgian Triangle is here to help you and your loved ones get the best care possible.

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