Long-Term Care Planning in Crump

Compare care preferences with practical choices

Start by describing the kinds of care that matter to you and what you would want decision-makers to understand if you could not communicate. Compare those preferences with the care settings and support being considered, without assuming that any particular option will be available or appropriate. Note the questions that require input from your healthcare providers or family.

A practical comparison can be simple: list each care option under consideration, the preferences it may address, the questions still unanswered, and who can help answer them. This keeps a discussion about care separate from assumptions about how it will be paid for.

• Write down care preferences, concerns, and questions for healthcare providers.
• Record which family members or other trusted people should be included in planning conversations.
• Mark information that is unknown rather than treating an estimate as a confirmed resource.

Clarify who can make which decisions

Financial authority and healthcare decision-making are not interchangeable. A power of attorney authorizes another person to act on someone’s behalf, but its scope, duration, and limits matter. A trustee, a court-appointed guardian or conservator, and a government-appointed benefit fiduciary have different roles; having one role does not establish authority in another.

Tennessee’s Advance Directive for Health Care addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences. Review existing documents together and identify who is named, what role each person has, and whether your current preferences are reflected. Avoid assuming that a document grants every power or answers every care question.

• Gather current financial and healthcare decision documents.
• Make a role list showing each named person, the document or appointment involved, and the decisions it concerns.
• Identify any unclear, outdated, or conflicting information for discussion.

Prepare a resource and insurance snapshot

Before discussing payment, gather a current snapshot of insurance information, income and assets, recurring expenses, and any care-related costs already known. Include the name of the insurer or program and the contact or document where details can be checked. This is an organizing tool, not a conclusion about coverage or eligibility.

TennCare CHOICES is a Tennessee long-term-services-and-supports program, and both medical and financial requirements apply. Whether it is relevant to your situation is a question to evaluate, not a promised funding source. Keep program questions separate from questions about private insurance, personal resources, and preferred care.

• Collect insurance cards, policy or benefit information, and recent resource records.
• List known care costs and mark estimates as estimates.
• Ask what information is needed to assess whether CHOICES or another resource may be relevant.

Make the next conversation concrete

Bring the care comparison, role list, and resource snapshot to a planning discussion. Useful questions include: Do my documents reflect my current preferences? Is each person’s authority clear for the decisions I am considering? What information is missing before we can evaluate possible funding sources? What should be reviewed again if my health, care needs, or resources change?

Dale Law Group, PLLC offers long-term care planning and Medicaid planning as part of its Tennessee practice. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro; Crump is in Hardin County. Contact the firm to discuss your planning questions and the information to gather.