Living Tapestries is sponsored by the UNE Center for Excellence in Aging and Health. We believe in the adage “with age comes wisdom.” Through this project we capture, preserve, and celebrate the life lessons of older Mainers.
Who can participate?
Adults, aged 55 years and older, are invited to share their personal wisdom in order to teach, inspire, and leave a spoken legacy for the future.
How does it work?
A trained interviewer meets with each volunteer by telephone or video chat (via Zoom™) for the audio-recorded session. Questions are organized around themes of life, death, and personal legacy. Select questions are weaved into a friendly conversation that may last up to an hour. These testimonies are edited and posted on the CEAH website. Participants receive a CD of the full interview by mail and web links of edited clips to share with family and friends. Students listen and learn about aging, and transcripts become data for research projects. The general public may also benefit from listening.
Sample Questions
- What are the characteristics of a wise person? Tell me about such a person in your life.
- What does the phrase “quality of life” mean to you?
- What is important for you today?
- What advice do you have for a young person wishing to work with older adults?
- What do you believe about death?
- Have you ever faced a challenge and discovered a reserve of strength that surprised you?
How to Participate
To volunteer for the project, you can register online, email CEAH Director Tom Meuser at tmeuser@une.edu, or call (207) 221‐4139.
Please know that participation is not confidential and someone listening to your interview online may recognize you. The use of a pseudonym is a privacy option.