Legal Question in Health Care Law in California

You can specify in a durable power of attorney for health care that you want to be kept on life support, be administered nutrition, etc. You would give a copy immediately to your regular physician and, if you are hospitalized, to the hospital, as well. If you don't trust the person you designate to do those things for you, you should substitute a new attorney-in-fact who will carry out what you want. By putting that document into your medical chart, doctors should know what you want to happen, even if you can't speak for yourself.

As far as distributing your assets, that's why people make wills and create trusts, to establish a scheme to carry out their intentions. A power of attorney ceases to be effective upon the death of its maker.