Actions taken and barriers encountered by professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities who experience grief: a qualitative approach

Abstract

Experience of grief has increased among people with intellectual disability (ID) as a result of their longer life expectancy. Professionals supporting this population are often critical of the lack of adequate tools for dealing with this situation. The objective of this study was to identify the strategies and barriers that these professionals are confronted with when dealing people with ID who are going through the grieving process. A qualitative study was conducted involving 20 professionals working with people with ID. Four themes were extracted using thematic analysis: “Exclusion of clients from end-of-life and grief processes”, “Strategies to support the client’s grief process”, “Emotional and personal difficulties faced by the professionals”, and “Coping and regulation of the professional’s grief process”. Barriers identified by these professionals include not having the specific skills to support clients in their grief and the emotional impact of the death of a client.