Funerals: understanding, inclusion and choice of people with intellectual disabilities (ID)

Aim: To capture the views people with and without ID have about the organisation of their own and other's funerals. Method: Five focus groups (three consisting of people with ID and two consisting of older people without ID) were facilitated in day centre settings in order to identify key themes abou funerals, which were felt to be important to participants. Semi-structured interviews with managers of servcies were also conducted to map significant issues about funerals. Results: People with and without ID identified a number of core themes which were significant to their experience of funerals. These included opportunities to attend and participate in teh funerals of others and the understanding and expression of faith through funeral situations. Differences were found between people with ID and people without ID in relation to the understanding of what funerals mean, and people with ID were often excluded from attending or participating in the funerals of loved ones. Conclusions: The study identified a gap in services in relation to funerals. More dialogue around what funerals are and thir purpose was identified as a need.