Life Matters Media content producer Daniel Gaitan writes a regular column about end of life care, policy, decisions and caregiving for the Zion-Benton News. A weekly publication, the paper serves the Illinois communities of Zion, Waukegan, WInthrop Harbor, Beach Park, Gurnee and Wadsworth, as well as Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
A northern Illinois funeral home will soon offer wine and cocktails to grieving families during wakes and memorial services. Kolssak Funeral Home in Wheeling is the first funeral home in the state to obtain a liquor license. The family-owned business wants to make it easier for loved ones to “celebrate life” and toast to the […]
As millions of baby boomers age and health costs continue to rise, Americans are ready and willing to have open and honest discussions about death and dying, Life Matters Media President Randi Belisomo told a crowd gathered at a Chicago conference exploring end of life care. “Americans are not talking about end of life issues […]
“Still Alice” offers a devastating and intimate exploration of Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder affecting millions of middle-aged and elderly Americans. The drama, directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, is based off the 2007 best-selling novel of the same name. The film focuses on acclaimed linguistics professor Dr. Alice Howland, played by Julianne […]
Music helps calm and comfort seriously ill patients and grieving families facing the end of life, said thanatologist Tony Pederson at the Music-Thanatology Association’s International Conference. Pederson, a trained harpist and vocalist with nearly two decades of music-thanatology experience, performed for nurses, physicians and end of life care advocates Friday at Midwest CareCenter in Glenview, Ill. “Music […]
“Bud’s Café Redux,” an original production from Chicago-based Time of Your Life Players, explores the importance of end of life planning through situational comedy and song. The light-hearted production focuses on Bud, a broke café owner, who receives a troubling phone call from his attorney. He learns his beloved family-owned business is sitting on rented […]