Background: Illness and death are part of life for everyone, including people with intellectual disabilities. This study investigated the extent to which staff communicate about death with people with intellectual disability facing terminal illness or bereavement. Method: Staff who support people with intellectual disability in the UK (n = 690)…

This article discusses how an art therapist working in a hospital palliative care unit has incorporated a ritual of hand casting to help bring closure to dying patients and family members who are grieving as death approaches. The finished hand sculptures depict the hands of the patients and, sometimes, of their loved ones. They are faithful and…

How people respond at work may have a critical part to play in how bereaved or terminally ill colleagues manage their grief and their lives. Although counselors, human resources, occupational health staff, and others may have an important back-up role to play, pivotal support needs to come from line managers, colleagues, and, where they exist,…

Few resources seem to be available to support school communities that have a child whose death is anticipated. The present article draws on the experiences of school staff and special education employees who have been involved in New Zealand school communities where a child was terminally ill and died. These experiences could help other school…

Identifies several distinctive characteristics of bereavement in relation to human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Discusses multiple loss syndrome, truant grief, and chronic bereavement that are often experienced by persons living with AIDS and professionals working in HIV/AIDS field. Discusses need for new…

Efforts to alleviate the emotional pain of terminally ill children and their parents have led many physicians to turn to child psychiatrists for psychological support and treatment services. This book, written by a child psychotherapist, offers an overview of children's attitudes to death and considers the moral and ethical issues raised by…

Discusses the development of Canuck Place, North America's first free-standing pediatric hospice of its kind, opened in British Columbia, Canada, in 1995. Discusses the process of assessing the need for Canuck Place. Data from traditional quantitative and less-traditional qualitative sources were used to document and develop an argument in support…