Ohio Nursing Home Administrator Practice Exam

The term for the legal document where a resident can outline their healthcare preferences is known as an advance directive. An advance directive serves as a general umbrella term that encompasses various forms of legal documents that specify an individual's preferences regarding medical treatment in scenarios where they may be unable to communicate their wishes, such as in a severe illness or injury. This document provides essential guidance to healthcare providers and family members about the individual's values and preferences concerning medical interventions, life support, and end-of-life care.

A living will is a specific type of advance directive that explicitly outlines the types of medical treatments a person desires or does not desire in certain situations, making it a subset of advance directives. Power of attorney refers to a legal designation that grants someone the authority to make decisions on behalf of another individual, which can include healthcare decisions but does not necessarily outline specific healthcare preferences. A health care proxy is related to the power of attorney, as it designates someone to make health care decisions for a person when they are unable to do so themselves, but it does not specify the individual’s healthcare preferences. Thus, the correct term that encompasses the broader scope of documenting healthcare wishes is advance directive.