Since 2015, I’ve been asking family caregivers to rate their stress. The survey results really led me to want more information about what wears us out during our caregiving experience. Our Compassion Fatigue Survey does that; the survey asks family caregivers about their fatigue and then what brings hope.
To date, 81 individuals have completed our Compassion Fatigue survey. The results include:
34% of respondents indicated they are fatigued. No respondent indicated that they are energized.
58% say that coping with all that’s happening wears them out the most. Our grief and our loneliness also tire us.
We are energized by solitude, connections and productivity.
We are leaning toward hopeless, with only 5% of respondents feeling hopeful.
Faith, family and friends energize us.
A few comments from the survey that stood out to me:
“I'm a problem solver. Solving problems energizes me and gives me hope. My mother constantly tying my hands when it comes to solving her problems leaves me feeling frustrated and hopeless.”
“Being a 24/7 caregiver gives me no time to feel...to just feel. I must move on to the next thing. There's a list that I can't seem to get to...and every time I try to get something going for myself I have to drop out or discontinue it because no-one else seems to be able to handle the few hours I need by themselves.”
“The only thing that I have stable in my life right now is my faith.”
“My faith will always give me hope. Even when I feel at my lowest faith keeps me strong in the end. And my family helps to remind that I'm doing my best.”
How about you? What wears you? What energizes you?
Resources
Meet our Certified Caregiving Consultants, who can help you find hope.