Abstract
Historically, social convention has influenced the way in which people grieve. However, people with cognitive impairments have often been excluded, hidden, or "protected" from the bereavement process under the assumption they were incapable of the emotional capacity needed to experience grief and loss. They were often viewed as children, only living in the present and unable to comprehend the finality of death. Exclusion from the conventional ways of grieving has often caused disenfranchised grief or complicated grief. Furthermore, people with cognitive impairments commonly suffer prolonged mourning periods, due to society neglecting their emotional needs. Frequently, individuals with intellectual disabilities are not informed of the impending death of a loved one in an effort to shield them from the harsh realities of death. This causes the death to come as a shock, and leaves them suffering from greater anxiety, depression, irritability and increased signs of distress. The purpose of this project is to develop a bereavement guidebook for caregivers to use in supporting individuals with cognitive impairments during the death, dying, and mourning period. This guidebook will include relevant information regarding recognizing grief, the bereavement process, the tasks of grief, the language of grief for people with cognitive disabilities, the role of the caregiver during the mourning process, and inclusionary practices caregivers, and professionals can implement during the funeral rites and grief work. Recommendations for handbook utilization are also included.