As Life Matters Media Co-Founder Randi Belisomo knows, the spotlight on Chicago’s reputation for violent death often overshadows the day-to-day realities of its most vulnerable aging residents. By working across a network of civic, religious, health and community groups, she and her partners are bringing culturally competent, community-based end of life planning to Chicago’s South […]
LIFE MATTERS MEDIA STAFF Seriously ill children who receive a gift from the Make-a-Wish Foundation may have lower hospital costs than sick children who don’t receive these presents, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatric Research. The nonprofit grants wishes, or “life-changing” experiences, to children with terminal and life-threatening diseases. Researchers compared […]
BY DANIEL GAITAN | daniel@lifemattersmedia.org Proponents of physician-assisted suicide in Maine are pushing for a statewide referendum on the controversial practice next year. Maine Death with Dignity organizers visited polling stations throughout the state Tuesday to collect signatures for the proposed ballot question, The Associated Press reports. The Wiscasset-based group announced last week that they also […]
BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PhD, RN, MSBE A July 2017 report published by the Population Research Bureau provides both good and bad news about our aging society and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias. It is undeniable that the absolute number of Americans with dementia is increasing, however, the proportion of those with dementia […]
BY DANIEL GAITAN | daniel@lifemattersmedia.org A beloved New Hampshire principal who inspired his students to live life to the fullest while facing a terminal illness died Sunday morning. He was 62. Former Concord High School Principal Gene Connolly was diagnosed in 2014 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells […]