58 Research Reflection by Anna Jo Short

Faculty Mentor: James Tabery (Philosophy, University of Utah)

Conducting my research was enjoyable due to the freedom I had to dictate what topic I wanted to investigate and how I wanted to collect information. I didn’t want to focus solely on death while questioning the residents I chose to interview, but I wanted to tie my results back to the topic in some way. I wanted to avoid discussing death with the residents too much as I didn’t want to upset them. But, as I came to learn, not all elderly people are unsettled by the idea of their death, and neither should I. My time in the Introduction to Medical Humanities course, instructed by Dr. James Tabery, taught me this as well. This course, which was the class I conducted my research for, helped me alter my view on death. Initially, I viewed death as a fearful, emotional event. And while I still feel this in some ways, I also have come to see death as a biological process. This mechanical view of the body aided me in viewing the body’s aging process as a scientific matter and allowed me to detach from fearful emotions when discussing the prospect of death with my interviewees.||As for my future goals, my employment at the retirement home has guided me towards healthcare administration. I want to be involved in healthcare, and I feel that working on the administrative side would allow me to enact change. This research, which helped me get closer to two residents, provided me with insight into how elderly people feel about the past, present, and future. My research allowed me to foster closer connections with these residents and their unique situations, which will undoubtedly help me maintain a focus on residents/ patients in the healthcare system while I advance in my career.