In response to the health and wellbeing article in the last Lamp edition, I was impressed by the quality of the description regarding compassion fatigue.

Having worked as an RN for 30 years in nursing homes, I became well aware of the term ‘compassion’ and the need for it in the workplace. However, I had not paid much attention to the concept of compassion fatigue.

But having read the description in the last edition, I now have the words to describe what I have experienced. I now know how easily compassion fatigue can sneak up on you. The signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue had become a daily experience that consumed me, but I never had the language to describe the feelings. Compassion fatigue had not only impacted my working life, but it had also become more of a problem in my off-duty life.

In 1994, I became a carer for my daughter as she struggled with the diagnosis of a mental health crisis. For her, this became Borderline Personality Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. As my nursing shift ended, my caring shift began as I started looking after my daughter. The extra role I gained as her carer was not one I could leave; there was no end to this shift.

Sadly, my story is not uncommon.

Judy Nicholas, retired nurse