“I hope I’ll outlive him”: A qualitative study of parents’ concerns about being outlived by their child with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

Kasper Kruithof, Erik Olsman, Appolonia Nieuwenhuijse, Dick Willems

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: The life expectancy of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) is increasing and parents express concerns about being possibly outlived by their child with PIMD. However, little is known about the nature of these concerns. Method: We interviewed 27 parents of persons with PIMD and analysed the data thematically, to explore parents’ concerns about being outlived by their child. Results: Most parents hoped to outlive their child with PIMD and related this to the expectation of a decreased quality of life (QoL) of their child, when they would have passed away. The uncertainty about who would fulfil their parental roles in the future contributed to parents’ concerns and sometimes resulted in feelings of despair. Conclusions: Our study provides insight into the nature and gravity of parents’ concerns. The division of parents’ concerns into roles helps to address future care and support gaps for people with PIMD.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY
Early online date2021
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 2021

Keywords

  • IDD
  • PIMD
  • ageing
  • concerns
  • fears
  • future care planning

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