Estate Planning and Probate
Advance Healthcare Directives and Living Wills in Lebanon
An advance healthcare directive can address both who may speak for you and the care preferences you want communicated. The practical task is to make those parts consistent, understandable to the people involved, and easy to share with your healthcare team.
Compare the two parts of your plan
A healthcare agent is the person you designate to act on your behalf within the authority given by the document. A living will or healthcare preferences section records guidance about care. These serve different purposes: naming a decision-maker does not, by itself, explain your wishes, and written preferences do not identify who should communicate for you.
As you consider an agent and an alternate, ask whether each person understands your values and can communicate them. Separately consider which care preferences you want recorded, and how much guidance you want to give. The Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences.
Make older instructions fit the plan you want now
Gather any existing advance directive, living will, healthcare power of attorney, and related healthcare information-access authorization. Compare names, preferences, and instructions across the documents. Look for differences—such as a former agent still named or guidance that no longer reflects your wishes—and flag them for review rather than assuming one document automatically replaces another.
A financial power of attorney is a separate role: it authorizes someone to act on your behalf in financial matters, with scope, duration, and limits depending on that document. It is not the same as authority to make healthcare decisions. Likewise, a healthcare agent’s role is not interchangeable with a trustee or a court-appointed guardian or conservator.
Prepare a one-page preference and document list
Before a planning conversation, write a short statement in your own words: what matters most to you in healthcare, what you want a decision-maker to understand, and any questions you have about documenting those wishes. This is a discussion aid, not a substitute for the directive.
Bring the current documents you can locate, including prior versions; the names of your preferred agent and alternate; and a list of people or providers who should receive copies. Note where the documents are kept and whether the people you have chosen know how to access them. The Tennessee form includes instructions about signing and sharing copies; confirm the appropriate steps for your situation rather than relying on an old form or informal note.
Coordinate the documents and sharing plan
Dale Law Group, PLLC offers advance healthcare directive and living-will planning, healthcare powers of attorney, and HIPAA authorizations. Coordination can help you review whether your written preferences, chosen agent, and information-sharing arrangements reflect the plan you intend.
For people in Lebanon and Wilson County, the firm’s office is in Murfreesboro. A consultation can focus on which documents you already have, what appears inconsistent, who should be able to communicate with healthcare providers, and what questions remain about completing and sharing the documents.
Questions to bring to the discussion
Should I name an alternate healthcare agent?
The Tennessee directive form provides for an agent and an alternate. Consider whether you want a backup person identified and whether that person understands your preferences. Review the document’s instructions with your planning professional.
Do I need to give copies of my directive to anyone?
The Tennessee form includes copy-sharing instructions. Consider who needs access to communicate your wishes, such as your chosen agent and relevant healthcare providers, and keep track of where copies are shared. Confirm how to handle copies for your circumstances.
Discuss your next step with Dale Law Group
Begin with a brief, non-confidential overview. The firm will discuss your needs and appointment arrangements.
General information, not advice for a particular situation. Sending an inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship.