The aim of this study was to explore the presence of compassion fatigue in family carers who assist staff with care of older relatives in long-term settings.
Narrative data were collected through observation and conversations with five purposively selected family carers.
Thematic and poetic analysis suggest that family carers exhibit symptoms associated in the literature with compassion fatigue in nurses and other healthcare professionals. Two major themes emerged: role engulfment and enveloping sadness.
Nurses working in long-term care settings should educate family carers about compassion fatigue, recognise its presence in them and provide support to family carers experiencing the condition.