Video

Cara – Defining Intellectual disabilities and grief

Cara discusses how grief literacy needs to be improved across the board for people with intellectual disabilities to learn more about grief, death and dying. There is a great need to include them in this natural, normal part of life that we’ll all experience.

Valmy – Creating a song to open dialogue

Valmy talks about how music helps her process feelings and also helps her express her feelings to others

Mary S – My story (long)

Mary tells the story of her life with her husband, his death and then the loss of both of her parents

Doug M – “Recovery from Grief”

Doug discusses how you learn that there are opportunities in the rest of your life. Doug continues to grieve the death of his first wife.

Cara – Intellectual disabilities, sharing and expressing about grief

Cara discusses how it’s very important that people living with intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to not only know about the information about the person being ill and dying and having the choice and opportunity to go to after death rituals. It’s also really important that they get the opportunity to share their story in whatever way they communicate. This can be verbally through sign language, through communication books, art, music, going for walks, being in nature

Teresa – Intellectual disabilities grief and time to process

Teresa explains the importance of giving time when communicating with people who have intellectual disabilities

Mary – Music as a tool

Mary talks about her involvement in songwriting and in hospice

Keith – “Disenfranchised Grief”

Keith describes disenfranchised grief.

Kim – Facebook and connecting

Kim – discussses our need to connect and how Facebook was useful after her Mum’s death

Keith – “You need not be alone”

Keith discusses getting help, resources and that you don’t need to be alone.

Karyn and Aidan – Coping with the COVID restrictions

Karyn and Aidan talk about how they dealt with not being able to visit John in hospital

Marija – Types of Loss in a Pandemic

Marija explains how all of the losses we experience during a pandemic are compounded