“Changes in the Place of Death in the United States” in New England Journal of Medicine, 2019. • More people are dying at home. • COVID-19 may change this for certain patients.
phones, if available • Gestures, PIN, or other access point for phones • Memory cards • Portable storage: USB, zip drives, and similar • Tablets and eReaders • Laptop and desktop computers
Photos, video, audio—both saved and created by the deceased user • Streaming media accounts • Text messages and voice mail • Activity through apps • Social media presence • Blogs and websites • Avatars/player characters in virtual environments • Communication directed to or about the deceased
may return to this stage of as new objects are found • Determine what can be accessed • Decide which objects are meaningful • Save the objects • Describe the objects in a useful way: 001.jpg is less helpful, SmithGraduation.jpg is more descriptive • Make copies. If you choose to upload to a storage service, consider granting access to more than one person
Manager • Instagram • Facebook’s legacy contacts These steps are especially important when the state does not validate or recognize your relationship(s), your status is contested, or the people responsible for managing your estate can’t get certificates.