compassion fatigue in aging caregivers: the role …the brain circuit involved in empathy. exercise...
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COMPASSION FATIGUE IN AGING CAREGIVERS: THE ROLE OF EXERCISE
Featuring Dr. Janelle BeadleUNO Department of Gerontology
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April 1, 2016 | 12:00 - 1:30 pm | 112 HPER
ABOUT DR. BEADLEDr.JanelleBeadlereceivedaB.A.inPsychologyfromtheUniversityofNotreDame.ShethencompletedaPh.D.inNeuroscienceattheUniversityofIowa.FollowingherPh.D.,shecompletedpostdoctoralfellowshipsatBrandeisUniversityandtheUniversityofIowa.Duringthistime,shealsoparticipatedinateachingfellowshipatAugustanaCollege.
Janelleinvestigatesthebrainbasisofsocialcognitionandperceptioninhealthyaging,aging-relateddisease,andpatientswithbraindamage.Inparticular,sheisinterestedinhowbrainchangeswithageaffectourabilitytoempathizewithothers.
ABSTRACTManyolderadultsfindthemselvesintheroleofacaregivertoafamilymemberlaterinlife.Caregiversoftenexperiencecompassionfatigue,oradecreasedabilitytofeelsympathyforthepatient.Oldercaregiversmaybeatevengreaterriskofdevelopingcompassionfatiguethanyoungeradultsbecausetheyshowreductionsinempathyandchangestothebraincircuitinvolvedinempathy.Exerciseinterventionshavebeenproposedasawaytoreducestressincaregiverswithcompassionfatigue.Byreducingstresslevels,caregivershaveadditionalreservethatcanbeusedtoempathizewiththeirpatientsandattendtotheirneeds.Myresearchinvestigatesthepsychological,behavioral,andneuralcorrelatesofempathychangesinagingandthedevelopmentofcompassionfatigue.Thegoalofmyresearchistocharacterizethebrainandbehavioralmechanismsbywhicholderadultsexperiencecompassionfatigueinordertodevelopinterventionsthatwillreducecaregiverburden.Iusebehavioralexperiments,questionnairemeasures,neuropsychologicaltesting,hormoneassays,andneuroimagingmeasurestoinvestigatethisquestion.Ultimately,characterizingcompassionfatigueinoldercaregiverswillserveasastartingpointtodeveloptargetedinterventionstodecreasecompassionfatigueandimprovepatientoutcomes.