Advance Healthcare Directives and Living Wills in Berry Hill

Separate your preferences from your choice of agent

Start by considering two questions separately. First, what preferences about healthcare do you want written down? Second, whom do you want to identify as your agent, and whom might you name as an alternate? The Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses both an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences.

The person you select and the instructions you express are not interchangeable: naming someone does not itself describe your preferences, and writing preferences does not identify who you want to act as agent. Consider whether the person you have in mind understands your values and whether your written guidance gives a useful picture of them.

• Agent and alternate: whom you would want involved if a decision-maker is needed.
• Preferences: what matters to you in care and how you want those values communicated.
• Existing instructions: whether older documents still say what you intend.

Make a one-page preparation sheet

Before a planning conversation, create a simple sheet in your own words. It is a discussion aid, not a substitute for a directive. Include the names of people you are considering as agent or alternate; the values or concerns you most want them to understand; and any questions you have about how to express those preferences.

• List every healthcare directive or living-will document you can locate, including older versions, with its date if known.
• Note whether each document names an agent or alternate and whether it states care preferences.
• Mark wording that no longer seems right, conflicts with another document, or leaves you unsure what it means.
• Record who has a copy, if you know, and what you still need to locate.

Coordinate old documents before making changes

If your circumstances or views have changed, bring the earlier documents rather than relying on memory. Comparing the actual wording can help identify whether the issue is the selected agent, the preferences, or both. A change to one part should be considered alongside the rest of your instructions so the documents communicate your current intentions.

The Tennessee form includes document-signing and copy-sharing instructions. Requirements and choices can depend on the document and situation, so avoid treating a general checklist as a substitute for reviewing the form and your circumstances.

Questions to bring to a planning conversation

Dale Law Group, PLLC, offers assistance with advance healthcare directives and living wills. Carolyn D. Dale can discuss how to express your preferences and coordinate them with an agent designation. The firm is based in Murfreesboro and serves Tennessee; this page does not imply a Berry Hill office.

• Does my existing directive clearly distinguish my preferences from the person I have named?
• Should I name an alternate, and what should I consider when choosing one?
• Which older documents should be compared with a new or revised directive?
• What signing and copy-sharing instructions apply to the form I plan to use?