Guardianship and Conservatorship in Millington

Start with the person and the decisions at issue

A question about a minor is different from a question about an adult. For a minor, identify the support or decision that is needed and who is currently responsible for addressing it. For an adult, begin with the specific decisions causing concern—not a general assumption that someone else should take over.

Make a short list of the decisions involved, who is handling each one now, and what difficulty has arisen. Separate healthcare decisions from financial matters and everyday preferences. This can help clarify what assistance is being sought without assuming that one role covers every part of a person’s life.

Compare existing authority with a court-appointed role

Before focusing on a court proceeding, gather any power of attorney, healthcare directive, or other relevant document already in place. A power of attorney gives an agent authority to act for another person, but its scope, duration, and limits matter. A healthcare directive addresses healthcare-agent and preference information; it should not be treated as a financial authorization.

A court-appointed guardian or conservator is a different role from an agent named in a power of attorney. A trustee and a government-appointed benefit fiduciary are different roles as well. Identify the actual document or appointment and the decisions it addresses. Do not assume that a document grants every power, or that a court appointment is needed simply because help would be useful. Considering an alternative is not a prediction about what a court would decide.

• List the decisions for which help is requested.
• Note any existing document, named agent, alternate, or court appointment.
• For each decision, record what authority the document appears to address and what remains unclear.

Prepare a decision-and-documents summary

A practical first step is a one-page summary that a family can update: the person needing support; the decisions in question; current helpers; documents or appointments to locate; and the person’s stated preferences. Keep the underlying documents with the summary rather than relying on memory or a family member’s description.

For a healthcare concern, include the advance directive and note whether it identifies an agent or alternate and records preferences. For financial concerns, gather the power of attorney and any other documents that may establish a role. Include relevant correspondence or records that help explain the specific difficulty, while keeping private information secure.

• What decision prompted the concern, and when does it arise?
• What has the person said about who should help and how?
• Which documents name an agent, alternate, trustee, or other decision-maker?
• Which decisions are not clearly addressed by those documents?

Plan the next conversation in Millington

Bring the summary and documents to a discussion about whether existing authority fits the concern, whether a narrower option should be explored, or whether to ask about a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding. Useful questions include: What decisions would the requested role cover? What existing authority should be reviewed first? What information is still needed to assess the options?

For current Shelby County court-office information, UT CTAS lists separate Probate Court Clerk and Clerk & Master contacts. Those offices are not interchangeable, and a directory listing alone does not establish the correct venue or whether a proceeding is necessary. Confirm current contact and location details before relying on them. Dale Law Group’s office is in Murfreesboro; the firm serves clients across Tennessee.