I spent last month helping a close friend take over the affairs of her aging parents. Her mother was adapting to assisted living and her father’s failing health transitioned quickly from bad to worse, and ultimately to a fatal heart attack.

Her parents live in western Colorado, but she lives on the East Coast.

My friend was able to arrange all the powers of attorney during a trip to Colorado after her father had a small heart attack earlier in the month. Little did she know that her father would pass a few days after she returned home.

Helping her through all of this has caused me to think a lot about the impossibility to simultaneously grieve and dig through unsorted digital or tangible piles of clutter, looking for important information, such as an account number, password or title for a car.

When I was a full-time computer guy, the majority of my clients were seniors. Many couples have one member who is somewhat tech-savvy and one who is not.

It was not unusual for me to get a call from the spouse who rarely touched technology asking for help.

When the spouse or family member who handles all of the finances and digital communication suddenly passes, it can make the loss even more disorienting.

For some people, the only records of family phone numbers, photos, passwords and finances are stored inside the computer.

If this is the case for you or a loved one, please consider taking actions that will prevent a difficult time from becoming unbearable. Keep in mind this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with age—an accident or illness can cause problems for anyone.

Don’t make your puzzles too hard to solve. Many people try to hide tangible valuables and valuable data (such as passwords) in complicated locations. Hide your passwords in reasonable places and tell a trusted friend or family member where to find them.

Print your passwords somewhere. It doesn’t matter whether you use a password manager like LastPass.com or a traditional Rolodex.

Print your will. Many people write one, even if it’s not formal, and save it in their computer. Print it out and store it somewhere.

Print your most important photos. If you have photos that are precious to you, spend the 25 cents or less to have them printed. Using a service like SnapFish, you can send photos directly from your phone and receive archival hard copies in the mail within days.

Use marked envelopes and filing systems. Don’t put important papers into piles or throw everything into a single folder. This applies to digital files and folders as well.