Advance Healthcare Directives and Living Wills in Ethridge

Compare the decision-maker with the instructions

Start with two questions: If you cannot communicate, whom do you want involved in healthcare decisions? What preferences should guide those decisions? Tennessee’s Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses an agent and alternate as well as healthcare preferences.

Choosing a trusted person and writing preferences are related but different decisions. Consider whether the person you name understands your values and can communicate them, then consider whether your written preferences give useful direction. A healthcare decision-making role is not the same as authority over finances or property.

Make a one-page preparation sheet

Before discussing a document, write a short page in your own words. Use it to organize your priorities; it is not a substitute for an advance directive.

Include:

• People you would want consulted, and a possible alternate.
• Care preferences or concerns you want discussed, using language that feels clear to you.
• Existing directives or healthcare-related documents, with dates and where copies may be found.
• Questions about who should receive copies and how relevant people will learn where the current document is kept.

Reconcile older instructions and access

Bring older directives and related documents to the discussion rather than assuming they match your current wishes. Compare the named agent and alternate, stated preferences, dates, and any differences you notice. Ask how to address an inconsistency and which document should be treated as current.

The Tennessee form includes instructions about signing the document and sharing copies. Review those instructions with care; do not rely on an informal copy-sharing plan to resolve questions about authority or conflicting instructions.

A healthcare power of attorney and an advance directive concern healthcare decision-making, while a durable financial power of attorney concerns financial authority. A HIPAA authorization addresses access to health information. These roles and documents should not be treated as interchangeable.

Questions for a planning conversation

Dale Law Group, PLLC offers assistance with advance healthcare directives and living wills as part of its Tennessee estate-planning services. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro; Ethridge is a separate municipality in Lawrence County. The firm does not list an office in Ethridge.

Useful questions to bring include: Does my choice of agent fit the preferences I have written down? Should I name an alternate? Do my older instructions conflict with what I want now? Who should receive a copy, and how can I make sure people can locate the current document?