The Sandwich Generation. The phrase was coined by social worker Dorothy Miller more than 25 years ago “to describe women in their 30s and 40s 'sandwiched' between their young kids, mates, employers and aging parents.” Now, this phrase seems to fit both men and women baby boomers as their responsibilities to their family continue increasing. At an age when most men and women used to be able to retire, relax and focus on themselves, adults in their 50s and beyond are finding themselves still caring for their adult children, their grandchildren and their aging parents.

By Christine Miller, Beacon Hospice

The primary task of a caregiver, as a “helping professional,” is to meet the physical and emotional needs of the client or patient.  By their very nature, people drawn to the healthcare profession are more likely to develop compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue occurs when this once rewarding profession causes deep physical and emotional exhaustion that attacks the very core of what brought caregivers into this field.

Individuals experiencing compassion fatigue have a difficult time maintaining a healthy balance of concern for their patients and objectivity. 

Recognize the Signs

Beyond the demands of trying to meet the important needs of the patients, many extraneous factors can negatively affect a caregiver and lead to fatigue. Factors such as a stressful work environment, a heavy caseload and declining resources, negativity, low job satisfaction, and more can contribute to a caregiver’s risk of developing compassion fatigue.

There are many warning signs of compassion fatigue, including:

Last year, unpaid caregivers – mostly family members of aging seniors – provided billions of hours and millions of dollars worth of service. They did it all while also balancing work, children, spousal responsibilities and their social life. Now that families are getting smaller, and are also more spread apart geographically than ever before, often the lion’s share of the work falls on just one individual.

Caregiving brings with it a slew of challenges, from guilt about not providing enough care to financial struggles to total burnout, mentally and physically.