The LAST Letter: Creation of a Meaning-Making Tool Following the Death of a Loved One

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to describe a process of structuring a tool (later named LAST letter), present my personal experiences by using it, and examine its meaning and utility. The LAST letter structure was grounded in my heartfelt desire to communicate with my deceased father. Its components are consistent with concepts in the literature for narrative writing for grief, including writing letters to the deceased. I examined the LAST letter I wrote to my deceased father considering previously published writing interventions and the meaning reconstruction model, and I explored how writing it helped resolve my bereavement-related regrets, strengthened continuing bonds, and facilitated meaning-making and personal growth. Few studies have focused on bereavement in an older adult and reflected on how the death of a loved one in the social context of a nursing home influenced the grieving process, with special attention to the challenges of providing eldercare and end-of-life planning. The novel, flexibly structured LAST letter tool has the potential to resolve bereavement-related regrets and facilitate meaning-making and continuing bonds for the bereaved.

Keywords:

• Writing for grief
• continuing bonds
• meaning-making
• bereavement-related regrets
• autoethnography

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruth P. Saunders

Ruth P. Saunders, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.