cake: navigating mortality? we’ll be your guide (site)

“Welcome to the largest end-of-life platform on the internet. Join millions of people turning to Cake each month for guidance on death, grief, and mortality. Explore our thousands of articles and tools designed to help you learn about and prepare for end-of-life.”

forbes: this startup makes end-of-life planning a piece of cake (article)

“Cake, a digital health startup based out of Boston, is hoping to become the leader in the space of end-of-life planning and advance care decisions. Their online platform makes it easy for individuals to make these types of decisions and store them in a secure system. After signing up, users are taken through a streamlined process where they’re asked to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to prompts like ‘I want my funeral to be a celebration of my life’ and ‘I have a living will or advance directive.’ Depending on each answer, the platform helps to identify what types of decisions and services each user should pursue. Choosing end-of-life preferences ahead of time can help prevent financial losses, unwanted medical interventions, and conflict between loved ones.”

cake: what is a simple will? and how do you write one? (article)

“A simple will is a way that you can inform your family and friends of what you want to do with your property and make it legally binding. If anyone disagrees with what you said you want to have done with your property, it will not matter. Because you had a will, the court will issue an order to make sure that your property is distributed the way you want.”

 cake: how to name beneficiaries to your estate - step-by-step (article)

“Naming beneficiaries to your estate may seem simple — just name your spouse or your children, right? Well, for some people, it’s that easy. But family relationships can be complex — they often involve multiple marriages, mixed families, children with special needs, disgruntled relatives, and more.”

cake: what is a durable financial power of attorney? (article)

“A financial power of attorney is simply a legal document in which you (the “principal”) authorize someone else (an “agent” or “attorney-in-fact”) to make financial decisions for you or to act for you in financial matters. A power of appointment can be effective immediately—even while you have full capacity to make your own financial decisions.”

 cake: what is a HIPAA release form? (article)

“A HIPAA release form is a document that allows you to record who you wish to have access to your health information in the event that you are not able to give consent. The form allows you to choose what medical information and records would be shared with the expressed individuals, including the date range and the type of records (such as mental health records and communicable diseases).”

cake: what is a healthcare proxy? (article)

“A health care proxy (HCP) is an advance directive document for you to designate someone you trust to make medical decisions for you in the event you can no longer speak for yourself. It leaves no doubt about who has the authority to make treatment decisions if you cannot do so for yourself, and ensures that someone you trust is making the choices you would make to direct your clinical team.”

cake:  what are POLST forms? what’s their purpose? (article)

“Having a POLST form is like having your doctor sitting next to you 24 hours a day in case you have an emergency. POLST forms are medical order forms that seriously ill or frail people who are near the end of life use to receive the treatment they want. The forms contain actual medical orders that your primary care physician prescribes for you, just as they would in your medical chart at the hospital.”

cake: what’s a do not resuscitate (DNR) order? (article)

“A DNR/DNI or, do not resuscitate or do not intubate order, is a particular type of advance directive. This document, created alongside a medical professional, is intended for seriously ill or frail people who want to decline life-saving interventions like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or breathing machines or tubes if their condition requires such care to sustain life.” 

cake: everything you need to know about death certificates (article)

“When someone dies, the death must be registered with the local or state vital records office within a matter of days. The vital records office can then issue copies of the death certificate, which you will need to handle the decedent’s affairs or may wish to have for your personal records. Navigating the process of filing and obtaining copies of the death certificate can be overwhelming, so we have answered common questions below.”

cake: how long does the probate process usually take? (article)

“It is virtually impossible to pinpoint precisely how long the probate process will take to complete when dealing with people’s wills. Because the probate process is set by state law, every estate administered through probate court undergoes essentially the same process.”