Healthcare Power of Attorney in Chesterfield

Choose for availability and judgment—not just closeness

A useful first comparison is between the person you most trust and the person most able to respond when a decision is needed. Those may be the same person, but they do not have to be. Consider whether each candidate can understand your priorities, communicate with others involved in your care, and be available when contacted.

Then consider an alternate. An alternate can provide a backup if your first choice is unable or unwilling to serve. Compare candidates for both roles against the same practical questions rather than naming someone simply because they are nearby or a relative. The choice is personal; the document should reflect your own priorities.

• Could this person make a difficult decision without substituting their preferences for yours?
• Would they be able to communicate your wishes to care providers and family?
• Who should be next in line if your first choice cannot act?

Separate decision-making from information sharing

A healthcare power of attorney concerns who may make healthcare decisions on your behalf under the authority granted by the document. A HIPAA authorization is different: it can permit information to be shared with a named person, but an information-sharing authorization by itself does not appoint that person to make healthcare decisions.

That distinction does not mean an agent always needs a separate HIPAA authorization. State-law authority can make someone a HIPAA personal representative. Review the roles and documents together so that permission to receive information is not mistaken for authority to decide, or vice versa.

Prepare a one-page decision and wishes worksheet

Before discussing documents, make a short worksheet with three parts: your proposed agent and alternate; the values or priorities you want them to consider; and the people or providers who should know where relevant documents are kept. Note any existing healthcare directive, living will, or information-sharing authorization and who is named in each.

For each document, record its date, the role it addresses, the person named, and any instructions about sharing copies. Tennessee’s Advance Directive for Health Care form covers an agent and alternate as well as healthcare preferences, and includes document-signing and copy-sharing instructions. Use the form’s own instructions rather than relying on a general checklist for how to complete it.

Review how the documents work together

Bring the worksheet and copies of existing healthcare documents to a planning conversation. Useful questions include: Do my proposed agent and alternate match my current wishes? Do my healthcare preferences give enough direction? Are there conflicting names or instructions across documents? Who should receive copies, and how will the people I choose know where to find them?

Dale Law Group, PLLC offers healthcare powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives and living wills, and HIPAA authorizations. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro and serves Tennessee; Chesterfield is an unincorporated Census designated place in Henderson County, not a separate city government. Contact the firm to discuss your planning needs and the documents you already have.