Compassion fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it is traumatizing for the helper.
Compassion Fatigue refers to the emotional, physical and spiritual exhaustion that helpers can experience through repeated exposure to the care of clients in chronic emotional and physical pain.
Compassion Fatigue can impact helpers’ personal and professional lives with symptoms such as: difficulty concentrating, intrusive imagery, loss of hope, exhaustion and irritability.
Compassion Fatigue describes the emotional, physical, social and spiritual exhaustion that overtakes a person and causes a pervasive decline in their desire, ability and energy to feel and care for others.
Compassion Fatigue is associated with “The Cost of Caring“.
Who Are The Cargivers?
Women
“Within our complex system of long-term care, women’s caregiving is essential in providing a backbone of support.
What Is The Cost of Care Women Provide?
The value of the informal care that women provide ranges from $148 billion to $188 billion annually.
Who Do Women Provide Care Too?
Women provide the majority of informal care to spouses, parents, parents-in-law, friends and neighbors, and they play many roles while caregiving-hands-on health provider, care manager, friend, companion, surrogate decision-maker and advocate.
What Are Study Results For Women Caregivers?
Many studies have looked at the role of women and family caregiving:
- Estimates of the percentage of family or informal caregivers who are women range from 59% to 75%.
- The average caregiver is age 46, female, married and working outside the home earning an annual income of $35,000.
- Although men also provide assistance, female caregivers may spend as much as 50% more time providing care than male care-givers.
What Is the Impact of Caregiving To Businesses?
Caregiving also has a substantial impact on businesses:
Absenteeism, replacing employees who quit in order to provide care and other caregiving-related activities can have serious financial consequences to employers:
- The cost to businesses to replace women caregivers who quit their jobs because of their caregiving responsibilities has been estimated at $3.3 billion.
- Absenteeism among women caregivers due to caregiving responsibilities costs businesses almost $270 million.
- The cost to businesses because of partial absenteeism (e. g., extended lunch breaks, leaving work early or arriving late) due to women’s caregiving has been estimated at $327 million.
- Caregiving-related workday interruptions add another $3.8 billion to the burden borne by businesses.
What Are The Health Consequences of Women’s Caregiving?
The toll that caregiving takes is not just financial:
Higher levels of depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges are common among women who care for an older relative or friend.
The impact of the women’s intensive caregiving can be substantial.
What Is The Physical Impact Caregiving Has On Women?
The physical impact of providing care can lead to long-term care needs for the caregiver:
- As many as two out of three older women do not take advantage of preventive health services due to lack of information and high out-of-pocket costs.
- 25% of women caregivers have health problems as a result of their caregiving activities.
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one physical risk factor of caregiving. Women who spend nine or more hours a week caring for an ill or disabled spouse increase their CHD risk twofold.
- Other health effects include elevated blood pressure and increased risk of developing hypertension; lower perceived health status; poorer immune function; slower wound healing; and an increased risk of mortality.
Do Women Caregivers Take Care of Their Own Health Needs?
Despite the physical and emotional tolls of caregiving and risk factors for disease, women caregivers are less likely to have their own health needs met.
(Source: “Who Are The Caregivers”- Family Caregiver Alliance).
