Hi Caregivers! Along with advance directives, there are "Digital Estates" to plan for!!

[JaneCares]

As if we need something else to worry about. But heck, being fore warned is to be fore armed. 

This is a very helpful article I stumbled across: 

http://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2017/challenges-and-opportunities-in-managing-digital-estates.html

Here are the first two paragraphs: 

"In today’s Internet-connected world, people accrue vast amounts of digital assets. These include digital files (e.g., e-mails, photos, videos, and documents), as well as digital accounts (e.g., financial, business, social media, e-mail, retail shopping, and cloud storage). The digital assets left behind when an Internet user dies, or is no longer capable of managing his or her digital estate, forms the person’s digital legacy. 

Managing one’s digital estate is an important issue for those connecting to the Internet. An AARP Public Policy Institute survey found that 6 out of 10 adult Internet users have not considered how they want to address their digital legacy. Even fewer said they had taken any action to prepare for the management of their digital legacy. More important, two-thirds indicated they were not concerned about addressing the issue of their digital legacy, and would not look for further information on this topic."

Well, if YOU want to "look further" on this topic, there's a link to the entire report.

I for one have told my partner and kids my email passwords for Facebook and my gmail account.  If i've actually died, not metaphorically, they can make an announcement on FB and as a signature auto response on my email. All the rest of it? Banks, etc? I better have that all tied up in a bow with a will, so that my family can march around (metaphorically) with a death certificate to wrap up everything else...

I know, such a cheerful topic, but i have a feeling most people who die, especially if it was an unexpected or accidental death, didn't plan to die that day...

What do you think?

Jane