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The Digital Legacy Association is the professional body raising awareness and improving areas relating to digital assets planning and digital legacy safeguarding.

Supporting society with their digital assets & digital legacy

The Digital Legacy Association is the only professional body dedicated to digital assets and digital legacy. Since launching at Hospice UK’s annual conference in 2015, our mission has been to help ensure that everyone’s end of life wishes are met both in the physical world and the digital realm

We are a ‘not for profit’ and our work includes supporting the general public, advising governmental organisations, social networks charities and other organisations to better support the public with their digital assets and digital legacy. We run training courses, develop best practices, publish resources and organise the annual Digital Legacy Conference. The Digital Legacy Conference has taken place in New York, Berlin, Rotterdam, London and online.

Changing attitudes and behaviours 

The internet is the biggest and most ‘disruptive’ force since the industrial revolution. As a result, society is spending an ever increasing amount of time online. This has led to a range of benefits and challenges as to how society prepares for death, mourns and remembers the deceased into posterity

It is becoming increasingly important that everyone makes plans for the online accounts that they use and the personal photos, videos (sometimes called digital assets) etc they contain.

Making plans can help ensure that digital assets are not lost and can help safeguard someone’s digital legacy.

Make plans for your own digital assets and safeguard your digital legacy

Everyone should think about and make plans for their digital assets & digital legacy

Martin Lewis speaking about the importance of making plans and referencing the Digital Legacy Association’s ‘Social Media Will Template’ on The Money Show.

Digital Legacy - Martin Lewis

If someone you care about dies how important is it for you to be able to view their social media profile?

For The Public

View our step by step tutorials and download our free best practice guidelines

Free Resources

We have developed a range of resources to help support both the general public and professionals

About Us

Find out about us and why this area is becoming increasingly important

Training

We run training courses for social care, healthcare, legal and funeral professionals across Europe

Training and workshops

We speak at various conferences, events, workshops and conferences. These are both for the general public and for different professions. 

Conferences presented at range from SXSW (USA) and Click Summit (Portugal) to the European Association of Palliative Care World Congress (Berlin and the Netherlands) and The Nationella Konferensen i Palliativ Vård (Sweden).

We are based in the UK and support the health and social care sector, globally. 

If you would like us to speak at your conference, event or to host a workshop get in touch.

Feedback data from the University of the Third Age (U3A). 56 responses by members of people in their third age, retired or are semi-retired.

Supporting health and social care professionals

We empower health and social care professionals in a number of different ways. This includes research, collaboration, training, providing resources, sharing thought leadership and developing policies. Our annual ‘Digital Legacy Conference’ takes place in a different city every year.  Some of our resources and further information can be found below

Digital Legacy Association speaking about the importance of planning our online accounts and online estate atHospice UK

Photo from Hospice UK’s annual Conference

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Supporting the health and social care sector since 2015

Claire Henry – Chief Executive of the Dying Matters Coalition

Ensuring people understand how to protect and pass on their digital legacy is an increasingly important issue, which is why we are delighted that the Digital Legacy Association has been launched. Talking more openly about dying, death and bereavement benefits us all, as does putting plans in place for when we are dying, and for after our death.

Claire Henry – Chief Executive of the Dying Matters Coalition
Dr Ros Taylor MBE – National Director for Hospice Care, Hospice UK

Social media has a key place in our lives now, and we are learning that it becomes even more crucial as people face the end of their lives. It helps patients stay connected and boosts self esteem. But patients and those special to them don’t know how to manage this personal vital resource after a death – memories, music, photos and messages are lost. We are delighted that the Digital Legacy Association is being launched at our annual Hospice UK Conference for over 700 staff working with families at the end of life.

Dr Ros Taylor MBE – National Director for Hospice Care, Hospice UK
Ruth Sheridan – Director of Supportive Care, St Christopher’s Hospice

It is important for end of life professionals to have an understanding of the internet and social media within the context of end of life. The Digital Legacy Association have developed a day long training workshop specifically to educate, improve skill-sets and provide best-practice in areas relating to digital assets and digital legacy. The workshop was developed with the support of St Christopher’s Hospice and includes contributions from a range of professionals and patients. “In recent years, the ways people choose to remember deceased family members and friends has changed. Trips to the cemetery are replaced by online memorials and social media sites which can be updated regularly and accessed freely. Healthcare professionals need to engage with service users to discuss digital legacies. This, in turn builds confidence in discussing dying, death and bereavement. St Christopher’s are pleased to have supported the foundation of the Digital Legacy Association.”

Ruth Sheridan – Director of Supportive Care, St Christopher’s Hospice

Supprting Governmental and Non-Governmental organisations

We provide support, guidance frameworks and strategy for governmental and non-governmental organisations across the globe in areas relating to death, remembrance and the internet.  Some of those supported can be seen below.

Consultations, research and development has led to public and professional awareness, policy change and new policy creation. 

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Get in contact

If you would like to speak with the Digital Legacy Association about supporting you with training courses, resources, conference speaking, governmental or organisational policy creation and for any media enquiries please do get in touch

Visit us for a tea or coffee  

The Digital Legacy Association
Michael Sobell Hospice
Resource building, Mount Vernon Hospital, Gate 3 Northwood HA6 2RN United Kingdom

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