Long-Term Care Planning in Memphis

Start with the care decision

Consider the kinds of support you may want and the circumstances that would affect your choices. Compare options by preference, who could help coordinate them, and what information is needed to understand the financial picture. A plan can identify questions and decision-makers without assuming a particular care setting or funding source.

• What care preferences should guide decisions if you need help?
• Who would you want involved in care discussions and coordination?
• What would you want decision-makers to know about your priorities?

Separate healthcare authority from financial authority

A Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences. A durable financial power of attorney authorizes another person to act on someone’s behalf, but its scope, duration and limits matter. These roles are not interchangeable: name the document and authority you are relying on rather than assuming one person or document covers every decision.

The Tennessee directive form includes instructions for signing and sharing copies. Review the form and your existing documents with care, and ask whether they reflect your current preferences and the people you want involved.

Build a practical planning record

Bring together a concise record of current care preferences, the names and roles of people involved, existing healthcare and financial authority documents, insurance information, and a general inventory of resources relevant to planning. Note what is known, what needs confirmation, and who can provide each missing detail. This makes it easier to compare possible care arrangements and identify planning tasks without treating an incomplete estimate as a final funding decision.

• List insurance policies or coverage information to locate and review.
• Identify accounts, income, property, and other resource information that may need consideration.
• Record questions about care costs, coordination, and how preferences would be communicated.

Treat TennCare as a question to assess

TennCare’s CHOICES program is a Tennessee long-term-services-and-supports program. Both medical and financial requirements apply, so it should be considered as a conditional program question—not a promised source of payment or an assumption of eligibility. A planning discussion can help organize the information to review and identify questions to verify with appropriate program sources.

• Which medical and financial information needs to be gathered for an inquiry?
• What care preferences and resources should be considered alongside that inquiry?
• What remains uncertain, and who can confirm it?

Prepare for a focused planning discussion

For a meeting with Dale Law Group, PLLC, bring the planning record, copies of existing authority documents, and a short list of decisions you want to address. Ask how the documents assign healthcare and financial roles, whether their scope fits your intentions, and what information is still needed to compare care preferences, insurance, resources, and a possible CHOICES inquiry. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro and serves clients across Tennessee, including Memphis.