Nobody wants to talk about end-of-life planning.
It is uncomfortable. It is emotional. And it is easy to put off.
But at City of Hope Phoenix, Chaplain Jeffrey Paparone says he sees what happens when families wait too long.
After difficult conversations with doctors, loved ones are often left asking the same question: What do we do now?
That's one reason City of Hope Cancer Center in Phoenix is partnering with the web-based app, Farewell Finder, for National Healthcare Decisions Day.
Farewell Finder is a free digital tool designed to help people document wishes, organize important details, and share that information with the people who may someday need it most.
The Founder and CEO of Farewell Finder, Jolene Green, says the platform was created to make one of life’s hardest conversations easier to manage.
Paparone described planning ahead as a gift to your family, saying, "People plan vacations, cars and homes, but often avoid planning for death, even though it is one of the few certainties in life."
He also said, "Many people assume a will is enough, when in reality it may cover only a small part of what loved ones need in the immediate aftermath of a death."
That is where Farewell Finder can help.
Green says the platform acts as a family’s “goodbye guide” loaded with information loved ones may need before a will is ever read.
She says the idea came after her own experience when her father died. Green says, "I sat on a mission and spoke with about 200 people across hospice, funeral homes, and anyone who had experienced death to understand what their needs were."
One theme kept coming up: people did not want to leave an emotional burden on their families.
But they needed something simpler than a stack of paperwork.
The Farewell Finder platform allows users to record practical details and personal wishes in one place.
Green said that it can include who to contact first, where to find essential documents, how someone wants to be honored, what should happen with their body, and other decisions, which can quickly become overwhelming when grief is fresh.
She also said users can choose who sees the information and update it over time.
Green says, "Grief can drive overspending because families may feel pressure to 'do right' by a loved one without knowing whether they are making the best financial choice." Farewell Finder includes what she described as a first-in-the-nation Arizona funeral home pricing directory, built from providers that offer price transparency, so users can compare costs more easily before they are under pressure.
And for Paparone, the bigger point, he says, is peace of mind. Sharing that when his own mother died, many details were already planned, from the obituary to the funeral Mass.
He also shared that the plans did not make the loss easy, but that grieving was made easier, because the family wasn't forced to scramble.
Green says, "Start the conversation now, even if you only begin with just a few decisions".
Because when life changes in an instant, the last thing a family needs is to be left guessing.
For more information, go to Farewell Finder.
City of Hope Cancer Center
14200 West Celebrate Life Way
Goodyear, AZ 85338
