Helping People with Developmental Disabilities Mourn

Practical Rituals for Caregivers

Marc A. Markell

• Publisher: Companion Press
• eBook ISBN:
  9781617220944
• Year: 2004

Frequently, people with developmental disabilities are excluded from bereavement ceremonies when a loved one or friend dies, therefore not receiving the special care needed for comprehending their own feelings of loss. Focusing on creating mourning rituals for special needs people, this guide offers specific rituals and techniques for caregivers to use while helping explain death and dying. With more than 20 examples such as the use of pictures and storytelling or drawing and music, these practical tools can substantially lend to the understanding of grief and sadness for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults and adolescents.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Preface
• About the terminology in this book
• Introduction
• Ritual One - Use of Photographs in Ritual
• Ritual Two - Using Storytelling in Ritual
• Ritual Three - Use of Memory Objects in Ritual
• Ritual Four - Use of a Plant (or Tree) in Ritual
• Ritual Five - Use of Drawing in Ritual
• Ritual Six - Use of Music in Ritual
• Ritual Seven - Use of Writing in Ritual
• Ritual Eight - Use of Stones in Ritual
• Ritual Nine - Use of Photos of the Death Process
• Ritual Ten - Use of Space & Location in Ritual
• Ritual Eleven - Use of Daily Objects in Ritual
• Ritual Twelve - Use of Daily Memory in Ritual
• Ritual Thirteen - Use of Packing Up Belongings in Ritual
• Ritual Fourteen - Use of a Pendant or Ornament in Ritual
• Ritual Fifteen - Use of a Heart Picture in Ritual
• Ritual Sixteen - Use of Light in Ritual
• Ritual Seventeen - Use of Burying an Object in Ritual
• Ritual Eighteen - Use of a Memory Gift in Ritual
• Ritual Nineteen - Use of Play-Doh in Ritual
• Ritual Twenty - Use of Food in Ritual
• Final Thoughts