Long-Term Care Planning in Shiloh

Compare care preferences before choosing a plan

Write down the care settings you would want to consider, such as receiving care at home or in another setting. Note what matters most to you, what circumstances might change your preference, and who you would want involved in discussions. The goal is not to predict exactly what care you will need, but to make your priorities easier to communicate.

Then compare those preferences with the resources and information you currently have. Consider what you know about insurance, income, assets, and other resources, and identify what needs to be confirmed. This comparison can help frame a practical planning conversation without assuming a particular care option or source of payment is available.

• Care preferences and circumstances that could affect them
• Insurance and resource information you know, plus items to verify
• People you want involved in conversations and decisions

Make decision-making authority clear

Financial and healthcare decisions are different. A financial power of attorney authorizes another person to act on someone’s behalf, but its scope, duration, and limits matter; do not assume it permits every action. A healthcare directive addresses healthcare preferences and can identify an agent and alternate. These documents serve distinct purposes, and one should not be treated as a substitute for the other.

As you review existing documents, identify who is named, what role each person has, and what authority the document describes. An agent under a power of attorney, a trustee, and a court-appointed guardian or conservator are not interchangeable roles. If you are uncertain what an existing document allows, bring it for review rather than relying on its title alone.

Prepare a one-page care and resources worksheet

Before a planning meeting, create a simple worksheet with four columns: care preference or question; information you have; information to confirm; and person or document that may help answer it. For example, record a preference about care at home, the insurance information you have, what policy details remain unclear, and who can help locate those details. Avoid putting account passwords or other sensitive access credentials on the worksheet.

Bring relevant financial and insurance information, existing powers of attorney and healthcare directives, and a list of people you may want to involve. If documents name different people for different roles, note that distinction rather than assuming their authority overlaps.

Treat TennCare as a question to investigate

Tennessee’s CHOICES program provides long-term services and supports, and both medical and financial requirements apply. Whether a person qualifies or what support may be available cannot be promised from a planning conversation alone. If you want to explore CHOICES, ask what information is needed to assess the question and how that inquiry fits with your care preferences and broader planning.

Dale Law Group, PLLC offers long-term care planning and Medicaid planning. The firm serves Tennessee, including Shiloh, an unincorporated Census-designated place in Hardin County; its office is in Murfreesboro, not Shiloh.