How to Break Bad News to People with Intellectual Disabilities

Irene Tuffrey-Wijne has written a thoroughly researched and clinically sound primer on how to break important, life-changing news to people with intellectual disabilities…This is a wise book deeply embedded in scholarly research and direct patient care and I commend it to everyone concerned about someone with intellectual disability and their future. — Baroness Sheila Hollins, Professor of the Psychiatry of Learning Disability at St George’s, University of London, and a crossbench life peer in the House of Lords

I found this book a pleasurable read, despite the delicate subject matter. It is clearly written and is full of examples that are instantly recognisable in my daily practice. The book highlights the importance of helping clients understand bad news situations regardless of their level of intellectual disability, and proves how including a client’s support network in the process can be crucial in ensuring that bad news is successfully relayed. Practical and easily accessible, this book finally provides us with a set of solid guidelines to support our practice! — Marja Oud, palliative care lead and unit manager in a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities, Netherlands

As a parent, I wish I had been able to use this book by Dr Irene Tuffrey-Wijne when my daughter was slowly dying. Her guidelines are realistic, reassuring and rooted in a deep understanding of the highly individual needs of people with intellectual disabilities. It makes total sense to me that breaking bad news is a process, not an event. It demonstrates that it is possible to support someone with intellectual disabilities to come to terms with painful issues. — Jan Sunman, parent carer and participant in Dr Irene Tuffrey -Wijne’s research