Music Soothes Dementia Sufferers

For Elders With Dementia, Musical Awakenings

Henry, an elderly Alzheimer's patient in an American nursing home, recently became a viral star. In a short video that has been viewed millions of times online, he starts out slumped over and unresponsive — but undergoes a remarkable transformation as he listens to music on a pair of headphones.

The clip is part of a documentary called Alive Inside, which follows social worker Dan Cohen as he creates personalized iPod playlists for people in elder care facilities, hoping to reconnect them with the music they love. Cohen tells NPR's Melissa Block that the video of Henry is a great example of the link between music and memory.

"He is able to actually answer questions and speak about his youth, and this is sort of the magic of music that's familiar for those with dementia," Cohen says. "Even though Alzheimer's and various forms of dementia will ravage many parts of the brain, long-term memory of music from when one was young remains very often. So if you tap that, you really get that kind of awakening response. It's pretty exciting to see."

Cohen says his goal is to make access to personalized music the standard of care at nursing facilities. An early concern, he says, was that headphones might isolate the patients even further. But when he first implemented the project on a large scale in 2008, putting 200 iPods in four facilities around New York, he got the opposite result: a flood of stories from the staff about increased socialization.

"People wanted to share their music with others: 'Here, you've gotta listen to this,' or 'What was the name of that song?' " Cohen says. "The music is great, but to me, perhaps the even bigger win is people having better and more relationships with those around them."

Read more HERE

------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Jeremy W. Howe, LTD. are ElderLaw attorneys in Rhode Island who specialize in wills and trusts, estate planning, guardianship, probate, and Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefits.

They also are Newport Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers, Attorneys, Mediators, and Arbitrators providing services for family law issues such as divorce, child custody and visitation, support, and military family law. 

Call them today at 401-841-5700 or visit them on the web at http://www.CounselFirst.com.

Who Gets Access to Your Online Accounts After You Die?

What Happens to Your Facebook Account When You Die?

You may have a plan for what to do with your physical belongings after you die, but what about your online accounts? In today’s social media-dominated world, a person's digital presence lives on online even after he or she is gone.

But who has the right to access those accounts? States have begun addressing this issue with new digital access laws.

Under current Facebook policy, if an account member dies, Facebook will remove the account at the request of family or put it into "memorial status," but it is very difficult for family members to get access to the account itself.  Family members may want access to a deceased loved one's account to read messages left by friends or to have the ability to contact the deceased's friends.  Under Facebook’s policy, the estate can have access to a download of account data as long as it has prior consent from the deceased or if it is mandated by law.

Such mandates are beginning to appear.  In 2010, Oklahoma became the first state to pass a law giving estate executors the power to access, administer, or terminate the online social media accounts of the deceased. Two other states -- Nebraska and Oregon -- are now considering similar laws.

Under Oklahoma’s law, the executor automatically has the power to act on behalf of a deceased individual and access a Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail account. The executor does not have to go to court to get access to such accounts.

While states grapple with this issue, it may be a good idea to provide some instruction in your will on how to deal with your online accounts once you die. Contact your attorney to determine if this is something you should add to your will. In addition, online services have also popped up that help people pass on the digital keys to their online lives.


------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Jeremy W. Howe, LTD. are ElderLaw attorneys in Rhode Island who specialize in wills and trusts, estate planning, guardianship, probate, and Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefits.

They also are Newport Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers, Attorneys, Mediators, and Arbitrators providing services for family law issues such as divorce, child custody and visitation, support, and military family law. 

Call them today at 401-841-5700 or visit them on the web at http://www.CounselFirst.com.