About AIDS
By Maureen Keeley, Ph.D, Fri., May 24, 2002
Willing to Share Final Conversations
With Your Loved One?
When someone you loved was dying, did you have a final conversation' with that person, i.e., conversations and interactions when you both knew that the loved one was dying? If so, I invite you to share your personal stories with me as I research this topic. It doesn't matter how long ago your loved one died, as long as you can still remember the conversation.
This project focuses on the survivors and their perceptions of those final conversations. During these difficult times, despite the pain, people have the opportunity for amazing conversations or significant nonverbal interactions -- to talk, to touch, to spend time together, and to share in a way that may not have been possible before. Lessons are learned and messages are remembered that impact the survivors' lives long after their loved ones have passed on.
The purpose this study is to provide further knowledge for both the participants and the researcher about the effect of final conversations on individuals, on the role of communication in the healing process for those grieving, and for the lessons learned from the interactions with loved ones. The end result will be research articles and a book titled 'Terminal Time: Final Conversations, The Gifts We Are Left With.
If you would be willing to share your experiences, please contact me, Dr. Maureen Keeley. I am an Associate Professor in Communication Studies at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. Interviews will be held in Austin and in San Marcos, with confidentiality strictly observed. My telephone is (512)245-3133; my e-mail is mk09@swt.edu. Thank you.
