Living With Loss
Helping people with developmental disabilities understand grief and find their way through it.
Grief, seen from the inside
Everyone grieves, but not everyone has the words for it. For a person with a developmental or intellectual disability, the loss of a parent, a housemate, a favorite staff member, or even familiar routines can run just as deep, and it may show itself in ways that are easy to miss: a change in sleep or appetite, a question asked again and again, a return to old behaviors, or sadness that surfaces weeks or months later.
Families, direct-support staff, and group-home providers are usually the first to notice, and often are unsure on what to do next. This series was made for them: patient, practical guidance on recognizing grief for what it is, and on helping the person in their care move through it.
Watch the two-part series
Dr. Della S. Lusk, our clinical director, presents both parts. Each video plays right here on the page.
Part 1: Understanding grief reactions
About 44 minutes
How grief can look from the point of view of a person with a developmental disability, and how to recognize and understand those reactions when they appear.
Part 2: Tools for helping someone grieve
About 29 minutes
Practical ways families and providers can support an individual with a developmental disability through a loss, and through the weeks that follow.
Prefer to watch on YouTube? The full Living With Loss playlist is on the Molly Lawson Foundation's channel.
About the Molly Lawson Foundation
The series was produced by the Molly Lawson Foundation, which is committed to improving the lives of people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities. The foundation honors Molly Lawson (1966–2024), who was born with Down syndrome and who made an impact on all those she encountered. She loved to sing and dance and act. It is a fund of the Arizona Community Foundation.
The Foundation reaches out in several directions: grants to Arizona nonprofits for programs and creative activities that enrich the lives of people with cognitive disabilities; scholarships for students preparing for careers in special education at Northern Arizona University and the University of Utah; and support for research into the relationship between Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Its current focus includes good nutrition for people living in group homes and other supported settings, and it hopes to support the caregivers whose daily work too often goes unrecognized.
You can learn more about the foundation, its grants, and how to give at mollylawson.org.
When grief needs more support
Sometimes grief eases with time and the steady presence of people who care. Sometimes it does not, for the person with a disability or for the family and staff around them. Our clinicians help individuals of all ages through grief, loss, and the changes that follow, in person at our Flagstaff office and by secure video.
If you would like to talk with someone, call (928) 774-7997 or request a time through our secure portal. You can read more about Dr. Lusk and our clinicians, or return to our other resources.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For thoughts of suicide or emotional distress, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
