The Internet Foundation  Applying the Internet to Solve Global Problems	Notes - Humane Society Compassion Fatigue and Euthanasia
Humane Society: Home, Humane Societies, Demographics, Pet Food Industry, Animal Ethics, Life Expectancy, Dog Bites, Compassion Fatigue, Caregiver Support, Animals in Research,

Terms: Compassion fatigue (16592), secondary traumatic stress disorder (287), vicarious trauma (951), secondary victimization (447), emotional exhaustion (6151), euthanasia technician (915), grieving (927617), survivor guilt (4434), unresolved grief (6029), suppressed grief (302), emotional wellness (29292), caregiver (1014567), caregiver burnout (1960), caregiver fatigue (192), hospice (1490566), death and dying (277719),

Boolean: "Pet loss" and grieving (26233), "Pet loss" and depression (13719), euthanasia and "Pet loss" (20022), caregiver and burnout (19929), caregiver and (exhaustion or fatigue or burnout) (104469), caregiving and death (116334),

The Indianapolis Star - A job where killing never ends haunts euthanasia technicians By Bill Theobald and Bonnie Harris, Indianapolis Star, October 15, 2001  

• High turnover is a problem nationwide, experts say. Only about 20 states mandate that people who euthanize be formally certified before they can begin work. Indiana is not one of them.
• Killing a large number of animals daily takes a toll.
• It's an attitude born of frustration and anguish that never goes away, Staten said.  "Even though the day is over, you know you've got another day."

Shelter Central - American Humane Association - AHA Training Descriptions

• Euthanasia-By-Injection
• Euthanasia—Beyond Dogs and Cats
• Compassion Fatigue

Humane Link is a virtual community of professionals and volunteers in the humane field seeking uncommon solutions to common problems.  

• Grief- Companion Animal Loss and Bereavement
• Ending Euthanasia of Homeless Companion Animals
• Humane Link Cyber Sights for Euthanasia Technicians

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

• Report- Nearly 75% of Shelter Workers Suffer Euthanasia-Related Stress
• The Dilemma of Life and Death
  • When expressed as a ratio of euthanized animals per human population, San Francisco emerges as the lowest American city at 3.9 animals per 1,000 people, while Auckland improves on that to 3 per 1,000. We can be proud of that.
  • And yet, even with all of that, the act of euthanasia, for whatever good reason, is still on every occasion a spiritual and emotionally draining experience. We should all feel for those who have to undertake it.
• Selecting Animals for Euthanasia HSI Electronic Library

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - No More Homeless Pets in Utah

• Maddie's Fund History
• Program Elements
• What Worked, What Didn't

Pet Loss Grief Support 

• Grief and Pet Loss by Margaret Muns DVM  
  • Grief is probably the most confusing, frustrating and emotional thing that a person can experience. It is even more so for pet owners. Society in general does not give bereaved pet owners "permission" to grieve openly. Consequently, pet owners often feel isolated and alone. Luckily, more and more resources are becoming available to help the bereaved pet owner realize that they are NOT alone and that what they are feeling is entirely normal.
• Dealing with the Guilt by Ginger-lyn Summer

Pet Rescue Online - 12 Imperative Concepts of Euthanasia Techs

National Animal Control Association - Humane Animal Euthanasia Course

The American Veterinary Medical Association

• Pet Loss Grief Counseling Hotlines
• Pet Loss - Making the Decision

PetCenter.com - 

• Pet Euthanasia...What to Expect, What You Should Know Prior to the Appointment by T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM
• And the loss of a pet often brings up memories of other losses in a person's life and a vicious cycle of sadness, helplessness and even clinical depression can result. Our pets are THAT important to us and we don't have to apologize for feeling that way!
• Those pet owners who feel they need to talk to someone who understands their sadness have hope!  There are a number of grief support groups and counselors who specialize in pet loss counseling. Never feel ashamed or belittle yourself for having strong feelings of loss and sadness over a deceased pet. You are NOT alone in your sadness.  ...  Never feel ashamed for being lost and lonely after losing your little friend.   And remember, it always takes longer than you would expect to start functioning "normally" again.

Only Humane - Caring For People Who Care For Animals - Workshops 

• Staying Sane in Animal Welfare
• Grief and Loss - Euthanasia

Animals In Our Hearts, a Pet Loss and Animal Communication Resource - Compassion Fatigue

• animal rescue work, sheltering work, animal control work, political activism work, as volunteer, employee, supervisor, administrator, board member, in an open admission or a limited admission facility

Physicians: American Academy of Family Physicians - Overcoming Compassion Fatigue - April 2000 Family Practice Management  When practicing medicine feels more like labor than a labor of love, take steps to heal the healer

• Physicians with compassion fatigue become physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted
• Living a balanced life requires time for self-reflection, identifying the important things in life and adopting healthier habits.

Caregivers to Victims of Trauma: Victim Assistance Online - Compassion Fatigue people in fields where they care for people under extreme circumstances, including: Doctors, nurses, EMS personnel, police, firemen, victim advocates

Care Providers: Americas Continuing Education Network - emergency care workers, counselors, mental health professionals, medical professionals, clergy, advocate volunteers, and human service workers

• Do you suffer from Compassion Fatigue?
  • What is Compassion Fatigue?  with CF you are absorbing the trauma through the eyes and ears of your clients
  • Compassion Fatigue Self Test

Care Providers: Arizona Center for Social Trauma - Compassion Fatigue

• People in the healing and helping professions, doctors, nurses, teachers, and social workers and yes, even the clergy, can become prey to this insidious form of emotional exhaustion. Those who constantly and conscientiously care for others, in whatever capacity, are the most vulnerable. Compassion fatigue is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion, where one feels depleted, chronically tired, helpless, hopeless, and bad, even cynical, about oneself, work, life, and the state of the world.

Observers of Death and Atrocities: Every Church A Peace Church - Compassion Fatigue and the Plight of those who mourn for all the Dead  Peace and justice activists

American Swimming Coaches Association - Emotional Preparation for the Olympic Games by Cal Botterill, Ph.D.

• Even vicarious experience of an Olympics can exhilarate and drain us emotionally. If someone we know or love is involved, we are likely to feel the full spectrum of emotions before the experience ends.
• Dr. Bob VaRerand (1984), ... suggests that there are seven basic emotions (or categories of emotions) that seem to define being "human." These are fear, anger, guilt/embarrassment, surprise, sadness, happiness and interest.  In addition, there are variations or combinations of these basic emotions including resentment, jealousy, and envy. It would not be surprising to find Olympic athletes who have experienced extremely strong feelings in every category as part of their experience at the Games.

A Cybrary of the Holocaust, Remember.org

• Memories of My Childhood in the Holocaust by Judith Jagermann  The only thing I kept thinking about, the only important thing, was to stay together, because that was the one thing that kept us alive. Many women, who had been alone, just didn't care any more, they didn't want to live any more and finally died due to emotional exhaustion.

Open Directory - Recreation Pets Loss

• Tufts University Pet Loss Support Hotline - Resources for Grieving

Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement - APLB.ORG Web Site

The Stress of Life - Caregivers It's a common belief among the 54 million Americans who are now providing long-term care to a family member or friend, according to Gary Berg, editor of Today's Caregiver magazine and author of a new book, The Fearless Caregiver.

American Association of Retired Persons

• Caregiving - Managing Stress When Giving Care

National Alliance for Caregiving - Family Caregiving in the U.S.: Findings from a National Survey (pdf)

• Experience of Emotional Stress: One in four caregivers experience caregiving as emotionally stressful (a rating of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5), while more than half (55%) find it not very stressful (a rating of 1 or 2). In contrast, more than half of Level 5 caregivers (53%) find caregiving emotionally stressful.

Maddie's Fund - The Pet Rescue Foundation

• No-Kill Movement - Caregiver Profiles

About.com - Death and Dying - 

• Caregiving - Pet Loss - Caregivers
• Pet Loss Net Book
  • How to Deal with Pet Loss
  • How to Help your Children with Pet Loss
  • Making the Pet Euthanasia Decision
  • Finding Support
  • Resources for Pet Loss

Hospice Net - Death and Dying, Caregiving and Grief

• Hospice Net Caregivers Information
• How Do You Know You Are Feeling Better?

Cornell University Pet Loss Support Hotline

• The Facts about euthanasia
• The Stages of Grieving

House Rabbit Society - Pet Loss Support and Grief