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. 2023 Feb 26;63(9):1488–1496. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnad019

Preparing for the Future While Living in the Present: Older Adults’ Experiences Creating a Legacy of Values

Sarah A Neller 1,✉, Kristin G Cloyes 2, Linda S Edelman 3, Bob Wong 4, Barry Baines 5, Gail L Towsley 6
Editor: Barbara J Bowers
PMCID: PMC10581374  PMID: 36842069

Abstract

Background and Objectives

A legacy of values (e.g., legacy letter) is a nonlegal way to intentionally communicate intangible assets (e.g., values, life lessons, and emotional and supportive instruction) with others. There is scant research on legacy creation outside of a palliative care context, and no studies have explored the experiences of community-dwelling older adults creating a legacy of values.

Research Design and Methods

As part of an exploratory sequential mixed methods study, we conducted semistructured interviews with older adults (N = 16) who had previously created a legacy of values. We analyzed transcribed interviews using an interpretive descriptive approach. We iteratively coded interviews deductively with sensitizing concepts identified in the literature (existential well-being, end-of-life preparation and completion, generativity, and resilience), and inductively, based on participants’ descriptions. Codes were categorized by patterns of motivations, content, outcomes, and meaning, and thematically summarized.

Results

We conceptualized the overall experience of creating a legacy of values as Preparing for the Future While Living in the Present and identified 4 themes: Preserving the Intangible for You and for Me, Sharing What I Want You to Know, Obtaining Peace through Reflection and Preparation, and Living into a Continuing Legacy. Participants attained peace, realized their life was not complete, and were challenged to live intentionally through legacy creation.

Discussion and Implications

Creating a legacy of values may concurrently prepare older adults for the end of life and the remainder of life. These findings offer insight into a generative act that can promote intentional living among older adults.

Keywords: End of life, Existential experience, Generativity, Human development, Symbolic immortality

Background and Objectives

A legacy is broadly defined as what one leaves behind after death, and its potential extends beyond leaving wealth or possessions. Creating a legacy is valuable for meaning-making and can foster symbolic immortality, the feeling of living on after death, by providing a way for an individual to be remembered in the lives of those who survive them (Lifton, 1979; Zanjani et al., 2015). As adults age, they want to share wisdom with others, address unfinished business, and move toward generativity (i.e., a developmental stage characterized by providing for the next generation; Erikson, 1963). Investing in life and work that will live on after death (Kotre, 1984) can be accomplished by leaving a legacy (McAdams et al., 1998).

A legacy can take many forms including biological legacy (genetics and health), material legacy (wealth and possessions), and a legacy of values (faith, culture, and heritage; Hunter & Rowles, 2005). To many individuals, leaving a legacy of values is the most important form of legacy transmission (Hunter & Rowles, 2005; Merrill & Age Wave, 2019). Here we focus on a legacy of values (e.g., ethical will, legacy letter), which we define as a nonlegal way to convey intangible assets, including emotional and supportive instruction, to the next generation, rather than instruction for allocating possessions or physical treatment preferences near the end of life. The purpose of creating a legacy of values is not only to reflect on life’s events to formulate meaning in life but also to articulate values and wisdom as a generative act for loved ones (Baines, 2003). A recent scoping review of ethical wills, the most cited method of documenting a legacy of values in the literature, found individuals create their legacy of values to address their mortality, foster generativity, solidify self, and renew intergenerational connections (Neller et al., 2022). Professionals across many disciplines (e.g., law, financial planning) endorse creating an ethical will as a value-added service for their clients (Hicks, 2007; Kador, 2014).

Purpose

The significance of creating a legacy of values has been recognized in the literature for more than 20 years (Kivnick, 1996; Meuser et al., 2019; Sapp, 1996). While a few interventions designed for patients with a terminal illness have embedded legacy components, including a life review legacy activity (Allen et al., 2008), Dignity Therapy (Chochinov et al., 2005, 2011), and Outlook (Steinhauser et al., 2009, 2017), creating a legacy of values is distinct from these interventions as it does not require facilitation by a provider or licensed therapist and may be utilized by individuals regardless of health condition or proximity to death (Neller et al., 2022). Individuals are creating their legacy of values in self-directed ways (Neller et al., 2022) through community workshops and self-guided books (Baines, 2006; Turnbull, 2017). However, no studies have explored the experiences of older adults creating a legacy of values in the community before receiving a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness or prior to referral to palliative care or hospice. Understanding why and how creating a legacy of values is beneficial to older adults can help clinicians and gerontology interdisciplinary professionals holistically address existential health and support patients as they age and anticipate the end of life. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthy, community-dwelling older adults who have created a legacy of values to understand (a) their motivations, (b) perceived outcomes of creation, and (c) what leaving a legacy of values meant to them.

Research Design and Methods

This study was a qualitative component of a larger exploratory sequential mixed methods study to examine the outcomes of creating a legacy of values. We used interpretive description, a qualitative methodology that utilizes naturalistic inquiry, to produce a conceptual description of creating a legacy of values that was grounded in the participants’ experiences (Oliver, 2012; Sandelowski, 2000; Thorne, 2016; Thorne et al., 2004). Interpretive description emerged as a response to address experience-based inquiry within practice-based disciplines to produce practical knowledge applicable to individual cases (Hunt, 2009; Thorne et al., 1997, 2004). The goal of interpretive description is to produce a conceptual description of the phenomenon utilizing patterns and themes that can provide insight for practice rather than generating entirely new truths (Thorne et al., 1997, 2004).

In line with interpretive description, we used the Conceptual Framework of Creating a Legacy of Values as an initial scaffolding to inform the aims (i.e., exploring the motivations, outcomes, and meaning), selected measures (i.e., interview questions), and analysis (Hunt, 2009; Thorne et al., 2004). The Conceptual Framework of Creating a Legacy of Values, created by the first author, was informed by the literature on the dying role and end-of-life anticipation (Emanuel et al., 2007; Emanuel & Scandrett, 2010; Gawande, 2014; Tarbi & Meghani, 2019) and an assumption that individuals primarily create a legacy to address mortality. Individuals create a legacy of values to answer existential questions of life (e.g., “How will I be remembered?) and act on their desires near the end of life (e.g., pass on wisdom, contribute to the next generation). Creating a legacy of values ultimately leads to the theorized outcomes of existential well-being (e.g., meaning, gratitude, peace, hope) or existential suffering (e.g., despair, shame, anger, meaninglessness; Neller, 2022).

Participants and Setting

The University of Utah’s Institutional Review Board deemed study procedures exempt. Eligible participants were 65 years or older, able to speak and read English, with access to phone or internet, who had previously created a legacy of values. Older adults were chosen because having an awareness of mortality is a necessary component of the existential experience, which often occurs during the process of aging (Doka, 2015). We utilized purposive sampling to deliberately identify older adults who had previously created a legacy of values in the community and were able to provide insight into their experience of creation (Thorne, 2016; Thorne et al., 1997). We recruited participants from January to May 2021 through professionals (e.g., Legacy Navigators, financial planners, attorneys) and organizations that offered creation as a service to their clients or communities or had written about the value of creating a legacy of values (Neller et al., 2022). The recruitment goal of 15–25 participants was in line with interpretive description, which often utilizes small samples (Thorne et al., 2004). Information about the study was sent to 108 individuals and groups, included in one attorney newsletter, and forwarded to others by study participants. Potential participants were contacted up to three times. We had a response rate of 58.3% and total participation rate of 14.8%.

Data Collection

The first author collected the data through individual, semistructured interviews and a demographic questionnaire. Demographic data included age, gender identity, race and ethnicity, relationship status, religious affiliation, education, income, working status, volunteer activities, and location by state. Participants were also asked to rate their health status at the time of creating their legacy of values and health status today on a Likert scale from “very bad” to “very good.” The semistructured interview guide (see Supplementary Material Section 1) was developed by the first author and reviewed by the study team. Based on the conceptual framework and literature review, interview questions addressed the motivations, outcomes, and meaning of creating a legacy of values. Questions about the outcomes of creating a legacy of values incorporated sensitizing concepts (existential well-being, end-of-life preparation and completion, generativity, and resilience), which were used as an initial point for inquiry to develop during the interview (Charmaz, 2014; Miles et al., 2020).

Procedures

Potential participants e-mailed the first author to indicate their interest in the study. The first author reviewed the purpose of the study and answered participant questions. Participants provided verbal consent before the first author conducted and audio-recorded the interviews by phone (n = 15) or via video conferencing (n = 1) based on participant preference. Afterward, participants completed the demographic questionnaire through REDCap (Harris et al., 2009) and received a $15 gift card as compensation.

In line with interpretive description, data collection and analysis occurred concurrently (Thorne, 2016; Thorne et al., 2004). During the semistructured interviews, the first author maintained a comment log detailing insights gained during the interviews. These insights were used to tailor the wording of the prompts for future participants (e.g., simplifying wordy prompts, clarifying if participants were referencing more than one legacy of values). After each interview, the audio recordings were transcribed verbatim using an online transcription service. The first author reviewed the transcripts line by line for accuracy.

Data Analysis

We developed an a priori codebook (see Supplementary Material Section 2: Supplementary Table 1) using deductively derived codes from the Conceptual Framework of Creating a Legacy of Values literature review (e.g., symbolic immortality, advising, principles; Neller et al., 2022) and the sensitizing concepts previously described. To facilitate immersion and familiarity with the data as a whole, the first author read through the transcripts multiple times (Thorne et al., 1997). To promote dependability and reflexivity, the first author maintained an audit trail of codebook revisions and documented annotations and memos detailing her evolving thought process throughout analysis (e.g., codebook development, comparing and contrasting participants’ experiences), which were shared with the research team (G. L. Towsley, K. G. Cloyes) during team meetings (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Miles et al., 2020; Thorne et al., 2004). We utilized NVivo 12 to facilitate data management (QSR International Pty Ltd., 2020).

We conducted two rounds of coding. In the first round, we utilized deductive codes from the a priori codebook. Next, we coded inductively by using a line-by-line approach to add codes derived from participants’ descriptions of their experiences. Inductive codes were included as the a priori understanding cannot fully capture the phenomenon of interest (Hunt, 2009). We reviewed the deductive and inductive codes for overlap (e.g., values and principles aligned in the context of the interviews), which we discussed in team meetings and merged as appropriate. The coded content was organized into categories based on the Conceptual Framework and research questions: motivations, content, perceived outcomes, and meaning of creating a legacy of values. The codebook was refined and verified by all team members. Supplementary Table 1 shows the final codebook, including the categories with their respective inductive and deductive codes.

In the second round of coding, the first author used the final codebook structure and analyzed the categories using a constant comparative approach to compare each interview to the others by verifying similarities and differences to develop conceptualizations and potential relationships (Corbin & Strauss, 1990; Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Thorne, 2000). We thematically summarized the categories by moving from simply describing the categories to interpreting the underlying complexities within them (Thorne, 2000, 2016). These themes were interrelated, and we synthesized them to create an overarching conceptual description of the experience of creating a legacy of values (Thorne et al., 2004).

Results

Description of Sample

Our sample included 16 older adults who had previously created a legacy of values. Table 1 details participant demographics. One eligible individual, a therapist, refused to participate because she thought she might break client confidentiality by conflating her personal and professional experiences creating a legacy of values. Participants were between 65 and 83 years old (M = 72.3 years). All participants identified as non-Hispanic White. Most participants identified as female (87.5%, n = 14), were married (68.8%, n = 11) with children (100%, n = 16) and grandchildren (69%, n = 11), had a college degree or higher (93.75%, n = 15), and volunteered (75%, n = 12). Half of participants identified as Protestant (50%, n = 8). All rated their health at the time of creating their legacy of values and health today as “good” or “very good.” Participants were from 13 states across the United States (n = 15) and Canada (n = 1). Interview length ranged from 27 to 75 min; the average was 50 min. Most participants (n = 13) created their legacy of values as a written document (e.g., letter, bound document) for the recipients; though three participants chose arts-based formats (e.g., collage with core values, “legacy box,” quilt).

Table 1.

Participant Demographics

Characteristic Mean (SD) N (%)
Age in years 72.25 (5.8)
Gender identity
 Female 14 (87.5%)
 Male 2 (12.5%)
Race
 White 16 (100.0%)
Ethnicity
 Non-Hispanic 16 (100.0%)
Relationship status
 Married 11 (68.8%)
 Widowed 3 (18.8%)
 Divorced/separated 2 (12.5%)
Religious affiliation
 Protestant 8 (50.0%)
 Jewish 6 (37.5%)
 Latter-day Saints 1 (6.3%)
 Catholic 1 (6.3%)
Highest education level
 High school 1 (6.3%)
 Bachelor’s degree 5 (31.3%)
 Master’s degree 6 (37.5%)
 Doctoral degree 4 (25.0%)
Annual income
 <$50,000 1 (6.3%)
 $50,001–$99,999 5 (31.3%)
 >$100,000 7 (43.8%)
 Prefer not to answer 3 (18.8%)
Employment status
 Working full-time 3 (18.8%)
 Working part-time 3 (18.8%)
 Other (self-employed) 2 (12.5%)
 Retired 8 (50.0%)
Volunteer
 Yes 12 (75.0%)
 No 4 (25.0%)
Location
 United Statesa 15 (93.7%)
 Canada 1 (6.3%)
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Notes: SD = standard deviation.

aIncludes the following states: Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Montana, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Washington, North Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah.

Findings From Thematic Synthesis

Our analysis of participant accounts led to our conceptualizing the overall experience of creating a legacy of values as Preparing for the Future While Living in the Present. We identified four themes that encompassed the experiences of older adults creating a legacy of values: Preserving the Intangible for You and for Me, Sharing What I Want You to Know, Obtaining Peace through Reflection and Preparation, and Living into a Continuing Legacy. As participants reflected on their experience of creating their legacy of values, it became evident that the motivations, content of creation, outcomes, and meaning of leaving a legacy of values were all interrelated. As the themes overlapped, we organized them by the primary part of the process to which they relate. To promote credibility (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Saldaña & Omasta, 2016), the themes with exemplar quotes are presented in Table 2.

Table 2.

The Experience of Creating a Legacy of Values: Qualitative Themes With Exemplar Quotes

Theme Exemplar quotes
Preserving the Intangible for You and for Me “At times when life is pivoting or changing, that seems to be the times when it especially matters to me that this is kind of all down on paper. Because if I slip away, it’s still here, you know?” (ID 5)
“I think we all have a legacy that we want to leave. I think it’s part of the human psyche to want to make a difference in the world, and I think it’s part of the human motive, the human goal, to want to leave something behind. So, leave something good behind; write a legacy letter, and let it go to who it needs to go to.” (ID 11)
Sharing What I Want You to
Know 		“What I leave behind with others is just what my experiences have been, what I’ve learned over life, what’s been instilled in me through previous generations, and what I’d like to share. But you know, it’s a combination of what’s most important to me that I be sure that I share with others, so it actually impacts their lives.” (ID 4)
“The legacy letter is an instrument of legacy—a way to consider and to ask yourself, ‘What do I want to make sure that I’ve communicated in a way that’s intentional?’” (ID 9)
Obtaining Peace through Reflection and Preparation “The main benefit is peace, knowing that I had said what I wanted to say. That I could say something beyond a traditional will, where I was just talking about assets. That I could just share my heart.” (ID 2)
“There’s something really powerful about finding who you are and what’s most important to you to the current generation as well as generations that will follow. It’s part of something that becomes one more link in the chain and connects us to the others. It’s really useful, I think, in terms of being known.” (ID 7)
Living into a Continuing Legacy “It means to me what I pass forward in time. It means to me that I’m paying attention to how I want to be remembered, or what I want to be remembered for. It means to me connection. I mean, I think of us as the link between the past and the future. And it’s a way of passing forward meaning.” (ID 15)
“Writing it encourages you to do more than you have, be better than you have. It also encourages you to feel good about what you may have done and the relationship relationships that you’ve built.” (ID 1)
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Motivation: Preserving the Intangible for You and for Me

Preserving the Intangible for You and for Me primarily addresses participants’ motivations to create their legacy of values and contributes to the content participants shared, the outcomes they received through acting on their motivation, and the meaning obtained through creation. Participants’ motivations for creating their legacy of values were simultaneously driven by their desire to preserve the intangible for others and themselves. Many study participants felt they were part of a rich heritage and wanted to connect past to future generations. One participant said she tried to “create that feeling for my descendants that they’re not alone in the world and that they’re attached to something much bigger than themselves” (ID 9). Participants were motivated to preserve their legacy for the next generation by providing recipients with a permanent, lasting, and timeless gift. Participants discussed wanting to preserve their stories, family history, and the environment for future generations. A few participants viewed leaving their legacy of values as a tangible gift because it provided a lasting, physical reminder of their love for their children or evidence of permanent emotions. In contrast, others considered their legacy of values to be an intangible gift because it expressed blessings and values that were more important than the tangible assets left in their legal will.

Participants described personal motivations for creating their legacy of values as a “yearning” to be remembered, feeling compelled or having a “calling” to write it, seeking peace of mind, getting emotional affairs in order, wanting to write it while they were still healthy, or wishing they had received one from someone else. Participants described being motivated to create their legacy of values to address their changing priorities from self to others, foster intergenerational connection, and positively influence the lives of others. This motivation manifested as the desire to be remembered, known, and heard and to articulate sentiments typically excluded from a legal will.

Creation: Sharing What I Want You to Know

Participants saw creating a legacy of values as giving more than possessions by communicating what is most important and leaving behind a piece of who they are. The content chosen by each participant was unique and personally influenced by their relationship with the intended recipients, who were primarily children and grandchildren. However, participants commonly shared topics including life experiences and lessons learned, values (e.g., principles, beliefs, faith), importance of family, and heritage or culture. Life lessons included, “never be afraid to tackle something that you feel is beyond you” (ID 1); the “ABCs” of real success (ID 6); and “have compassionate eyes and see everyone” (ID 15). Participants shared many values, including love for the recipients, the importance of family and connection to others, faith, taking risks, serving others, generosity, unconditional or constant love, belief in the recipients, and encouragement for recipients to make the most of their gifts and talents.

Participants commonly shared advice with the recipients that was rooted in their family values or that they had learned through life. In contrast, a few participants said they did not want to give advice to the recipients. These participants made the distinction that while the content was provided to guide or affect others, the legacy of values was not designed to be controlling or induce guilt. One participant said the letter was a tool to express “what matters most to me without telling others what to do” (ID 7).

Outcomes: Obtaining Peace Through Reflection and Preparation

The outcomes of creation were tied to the content included in the legacy of values, the motivations to create, and the eventual meaning obtained through creation. Many participants said creating their legacy of values was calming, comforting, served as a coping mechanism, and offered peace and serenity. Some participants felt relieved knowing they had created their legacy of values while they were strong and still had cognitive capacity. Several participants said they do not frequently think about death or its imminence, but if they were to die tomorrow, they would have comfort knowing this task was off their to-do list. One participant said, “it gave me the sense that I could rest more comfortably when the end is drawing near [and now I] don’t have to panic and do it in the last stages of dying” (ID 1). Participants said the act of creating a legacy of values, whether drafted or completed, added to their sense of peace, provided closure, and would “lighten the load” near the end of life. The intent to share their legacy of values was enough for participants to feel peace even if sharing was planned for the future or after their death.

Participants also experienced the outcomes of satisfaction, affirmation, and validation of their lives. Many participants said the process of self-examination and reflection affirmed their identity and life roles and validated that they were not a failure. Participants said creation provided a connection or link to other generations (past, present, and future). One participant said, “I really don’t think that there’s any other connection that’s more important that our grandchildren know who we are and that they will have the memories” (ID 3). Another participant said writing her legacy letter to her grandchildren helped to create “a listening where there is none” (ID 11).

Meaning and purpose

A few participants shared that communicating how they wanted to be remembered and hoping to make a difference by sharing their legacy of values added to their meaning and purpose in life. One participant saw the process of creating his legacy of values as “a way to grow and gain insight into the meaning of life” (ID 8). Another said, “the hope that I might be able to actually make a difference gives me a purpose” (ID 11). Other participants said writing their legacy of values did not change their meaning, but it reinforced the meaning they already had in their lives. Participants expressed creating their legacy of values provided “clarity” and helped them distill their life to reaffirm their meaning, address regrets, seek reconciliation, or remind them of how they want to live purposefully in the present or future.

End-of-life completion and preparation

The consensus among participants was that creating a legacy of values did not provide a sense of life completion. One participant said, “I don’t want it to do that” (ID 10). Instead, creating the legacy of values was a reminder or wake-up call to several participants that life is not complete; there is more life left to live; there is more to do and more to learn. One participant said creation made her realize that life is “not fully complete. It can be, but I think this is an evolving—once you start this, I think it makes you realize that there are many things that still could be done to make it fully complete” (ID 4).

Many participants used the legacy of values to prepare themselves and others for what was to come by addressing unfinished business or leaving nothing unsaid. The intent to communicate their legacy of values provided a sense of peace and helped establish a feeling of being prepared for the end of life. One participant said creating a legacy of values was like organizing a house and provided a way of “uncluttering your head or your heart and leaving what you think is important to others” (ID 14). Writing the legacy of values helped a few participants accept or address their mortality. It also provided a more personal way for participants to prepare others for their death, beyond making funeral arrangements, or telling them how to carry on. One participant said now that her letter is written, “I don’t have to feel any sense of ‘oh my God, I never got around to this’” (ID 5).

Generativity

Creating the legacy of values helped participants feel they provided for the next generation by communicating important content that would benefit the recipients. One participant expressed that writing her legacy letter made her realize she had more to offer her daughter about important life lessons than she initially thought. For many participants, the act of writing was a way to reflect the generativity toward others they had already been living out, or it was a natural way to reflect their desire to teach others. Many participants mentioned that the purpose or motivation for creation was so that the next generation would learn from them. One participant said, I “want it to be a learning tool as much as a remembrance tool” (ID 13).

Resilience

Most participants said though creating their legacy of values was very valuable, they did not see creation as a coping mechanism or source of resilience. However, a few participants talked about the act of reflection and how writing down their legacy of values helped them realize how much they have overcome, provided “mottos to live by,” and offered strength. One participant said it “reminds you of what you’ve survived, what obstacles you’ve faced, how you face them, and what philosophies helped you face them” (ID 1).

Meaning: Living into a Continuing Legacy

The meaning participants derived from their experience creating their legacy of values was closely tied to their underlying motivations, content included, and outcomes received. Participants initially discussed the meaning of legacy as “what one leaves behind after death.” However, continued conversation highlighted that creating a legacy of values fostered the feeling of symbolic immortality, for example, living on in the lives of others after they have died, and inspired participants to live intentionally in their final years. One participant said, “it is a way to help you analyze your life, not only leave a piece of yourself behind” (ID 1). Participants said creating their legacy of values was a reinforcing, affirming, and inspiring act that caused them to reflect on how they had lived and wanted to live in the future. One participant said thinking of legacy caused her to reexamine her life and ask herself, “how do you want to finish your life?” (ID 13).

Symbolic immortality

Closely tied with the motivation to leave something tangible, creating a legacy of values allows the writer to achieve symbolic immortality. Participants stated they created this legacy of values so that their loved ones will have a record to remember them by after they are gone. Several participants alluded to symbolic immortality through statements such as “we all have a desire to be immortal in some way, to leave some part of us still here to make a difference after we’re gone” (ID 11) and the legacy letter “allows our light to continue in some way through our values” (ID 2). Similar to preparing recipients for the end of life, one participant said, “here are the keys to have [death] not be the end of our relationship; here’s how to keep me present” (ID 5). Another participant said:

If I have anything to leave behind so that I, my name, what I’ve lived, what I’ve done might be remembered—it’s a way, I guess it’s a way not to die. It’s a way to continue living, even though you’re no longer here. (ID 1)

Intentional living

Participants also reflected on how creating their legacy of values inspired them to question how they want to continue living. Participants saw creation as an opportunity to not only leave something behind but also move forward. The experience solidified and expanded their original meaning of leaving a legacy of values for others. Creation provided an opportunity to “define self” (ID 8), and one participant said it helped her see herself in a “kinder, gentler way” (ID 14). The process of creation also helps facilitate personal growth. When describing the writing process, one participant said there is a:

Huge metamorphosis that goes on from being terrified to write it to saying, ‘I love you, Mom.’ There’s a world of learning in that space in between. And I think that part of the job of elders is to come to acceptance of who we are and what our lives have been. (ID 15)

Several participants mentioned that creation helped them reflect on and evaluate the past and the present to live intentionally in their remaining days. One participant shared, “I think it’s a wonderful way to gain insight and value the meaning of life, if you will. It’s a good, it’s a great opportunity for growth” (ID 8). Creating a legacy of values also provided a means to reflect on what they had not done well and provided an opportunity to change (e.g., complete unfinished business, make amends). Creating a legacy of values served as a guide and foundation for some participants for how they want to purposely live in the future, and it caused them to ask questions such as: “Are you truly ‘walking your talk’?” (ID 9), and “Does the emphasis you have on the present moment reflect your true values?” (ID 4).

Discussion and Implications

Creating a legacy of values was a way for participants to communicate who they are, their most important values, and their family history to recipients to provide a link between the generations and a means of being remembered. Though participants began the creation process with initial motivations (e.g., leaving something tangible behind for others), they were often surprised by the personal outcomes they received from creating their legacy of values. Through introspection and creation, participants received peace, relief, affirmation, validation, and a sense of symbolic immortality.

Fostering Intentional Living and Continued Life Engagement

Participants emphasized that creating a legacy of values was used to concurrently prepare for the end of life and prepare for the remainder of life. Creating a legacy of values affirmed participants’ meaning in life and promoted their desire to live intentionally and with purpose as they age, which is consistent with literature highlighting that adults are meaning-seeking (Wong & Tomer, 2011) and have the potential to experience purpose across the life span (Irving et al., 2017). Having purpose in life has been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality and positively contributes to longevity (Cohen et al., 2016; Hill & Turiano, 2014). Similarly, Newton and Jones (2016) found that adults in midlife find purpose and meaning in building a future legacy, highlighting the value of focusing not only on the past legacy one has received but also on the potential future legacy that can be created and passed to the next generation.

By creating a legacy of values, participants fostered intergenerational connection through the generative act of sharing important values, experiences, and lessons learned to benefit the recipient. Connecting the past and future through a legacy of values can also nurture developmental maturity through self-transcendence. Self-transcendence is the ability for an individual to push self-boundaries through introspection, concern for others, reflection on ways the past and future can enhance the present, and connection with a higher dimension (Reed, 1991). Creating a legacy of values can help adults move toward self-transcendence and increased well-being by becoming vulnerable and addressing awareness of mortality (Reed, 2018). Older adults who find meaning through self-transcendence and engage in generative acts, such as preserving values and leaving a legacy, have a greater purpose in life, seek new challenges, and have lower levels of existential distress (e.g., fear of death and aging, life regrets) than older adults who find meaning through self-serving interests (Reker & Wong, 2012).

Our findings are also similar to the theory of gerotranscendence, which asserts that older adults experience a change in time perspective, feel they are the link connecting past and future generations, and achieve an acceptance of their own life through the process of aging (Tornstam, 2011). One surprising finding was that participants felt creating their legacy of values did not contribute to their feelings of life completion, which is in contrast to research among patients with a terminal illness who report higher levels of end-of-life completion after participating in an intervention with a legacy component (Steinhauser et al., 2017). Because participants in this study were healthy, they may have experienced a change in their future time perspective due to aging rather than perceived proximity to death, influencing their desires for continued life engagement and intentionally seeking generative acts (Lang & Carstensen, 2002; McAdams et al., 1998).

Implications for Practice and Research

Our findings are consistent with estate planning literature which suggests that creating a legacy document can provide an opportunity for the writer to address mortality, learn about himself, obtain a sense of growth and meaning, and leave a portion of self behind for others (Falkner, 2009; Hicks, 2007), all of which contribute to symbolic immortality. Findings from this study have potential transferability for gerontologists to utilize creating a legacy of values to frame life reflection and end-of-life preparation as a normal part of the aging process (Tornstam, 2011). Individuals often avoid preparing for the end of life until death is imminent, or they have received a terminal diagnosis and prognosis (Carr & Khodyakov, 2007). However, it is valuable to help patients anticipate and prepare for the end of life while they are still capable of planning as many will cope with their existential questions “in terms of living, and not just in terms of dying” (Salander, 2018, p. 2656). Because creating a legacy of values before the end of life helps individuals identify areas of change or continued growth, affirm meaning, and plan for living intentionally during their remaining years, future research will explore ways creating a legacy of values can promote possible selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986) and successful aging among older adults.

Discussing legacy of values creation can help gerontology interdisciplinary team members engage patients in reflecting on what matters most as they begin or revisit the process of end-of-life planning. These findings contribute to the gerontology literature by offering insight into a means to promote intentional living and continued life engagement among older adults. Reichstadt and colleagues (2010) recommended that future interventions to support successful aging identify opportunities for engagement in meaningful activities, foster intergenerational connections, and promote usefulness, all of which a legacy of values can do. Future work will build upon the results of this study to prospectively measure the outcomes of creating a legacy of values and evaluate the impact of sharing the legacy of values with the intended recipient.

One of the limitations of this study is that our use of purposive sampling resulted in a homogenous sample in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, education, and socioeconomic status. Though the participants were heterogeneous in terms of their geographical location around the United States and Canada, religious background, and volunteer activities, the findings may not be generalizable to older adults with differing identifying characteristics and experiences. Further, future research will explore legacy creation with diverse cultural groups and marginalized populations to understand how life experiences, the perceived closeness of family or recipients, and cultural background shape creation.

A second limitation is that study participants may have been interested in participating in the study because of their positive experiences with creating a legacy of values or other generative acts (i.e., volunteering). We did not identify any older adults with a negative experience, which may indicate selection bias. Because we chose a purposive sampling strategy, we did not identify older adults who were aware of a legacy of values and chose not to create one. Finally, as this study was observational, we were unable to prospectively evaluate the outcomes of creating a legacy of values. Strengths include using in-depth interviews and being the first study to explore the experiences of older adults creating a legacy of values.

Conclusion

This study provides insight into the experiences of older adults creating a legacy of values in a community setting, which can enlighten ways others may benefit from creating their legacy of values as they age and anticipate the end of life. Leaving a legacy of values allows individuals to make a lasting impression on others, communicate what matters most, obtain a sense of peace, and foster continued life engagement. Creating a legacy of values challenged participants to accept their past, see their life in a new way, and reflect on how they want to continue living into the legacy they had already created. Our findings will inform future person-centered holistic interventions that support older adults as they prepare for the future while living in the present by reflecting on their goals and decisions, enhancing communication with others, and providing for the next generation through creating and sharing their legacy of values.

Supplementary Material

gnad019_suppl_Supplementary_Material
Click here for additional data file. (26.5KB, docx)

Contributor Information

Sarah A Neller, College of Nursing, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

Kristin G Cloyes, School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.

Linda S Edelman, College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Bob Wong, College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Barry Baines, Hennepin Health Care Hospice of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Gail L Towsley, College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health (award number T32NR013456) and Sigma Theta Tau Gamma Rho Chapter (to S. A. Neller]. This work is the authors’ and does not imply endorsement by any of our funders.

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Ethical Statement

The study was deemed exempt by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board (IRB; approval no. 00137611). All participants were educated on the study purpose, risks, and benefits and provided verbal consent prior to participating in the interview. Waiver of written consent was approved by the IRB as the study was no more than minimal risk.

Data Availability

The conducted research was not preregistered in an independent institutional registry. Raw data, including audio recordings and transcripts, are not available to other researchers for replication purposes as we did not obtain written informed consent from the participants to share their raw data. However, to promote transparency, we have included the interview guide and final codebook detailing the codes, categories, and example texts.

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Associated Data

This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

Supplementary Materials

gnad019_suppl_Supplementary_Material
Click here for additional data file. (26.5KB, docx)

Data Availability Statement

The conducted research was not preregistered in an independent institutional registry. Raw data, including audio recordings and transcripts, are not available to other researchers for replication purposes as we did not obtain written informed consent from the participants to share their raw data. However, to promote transparency, we have included the interview guide and final codebook detailing the codes, categories, and example texts.

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