Supporting Others

Sarah K – Be gentle

Sarah shares what what she has learned to help someone going through what she has been through

Adrianna – Storytelling… intuitive and instrumental

Adrianna tells how storytelling helped her process her grief

Nicole – Grieving as a community

Nicole discusses the power of grieving together as a community. Finding connection and trust.

Shannon – Blessings and sadness

Shannon discusses how just showing up, being present is a powerful way of supporting to someone who has lost. Listen more – talk less.

John – Support over time

John discusses how support changes over time

Sunny- The Importance of Friends While Grieving

John Martin – Recognize What Your Loss Means For You Now And In The Future

John discusses what comes next after initial shock

Donna B – “Seeking Help”

Donna talks about the importance of speaking to someone. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

Alongside

That is also our best, and only role, when supporting a person with a developmental disability to grieve. We must be the one that comes alongside. There is no closer place we can get to. We must be present, be with, perhaps not understanding or comprehending what the person we support is experiencing, but alongside them nonetheless. We must be there, ready to provide whatever we can discover of their unique need in grief.

Cara – Intellectual disabilities and advance planning

Cara explains that people living with intellectual disabilities are growing to older ages, much like the rest of the population. And as folks are aging what we’re seeing is the need for families more so than ever, to do some advanced planning for who will take over any caregiving decision making or where that person may live, what sort of support they may need and what that’s going to look like after the parents or the guardians die so that this doesn’t become a crisis situation.

Zoreena – Support systems

Zoreena explains the importance of support systems

John Martin – The Trauma of Loss and Grief

John discusses trauma and grief