POA doesn't cover anything after death. It expires when you die and the person in charge of your estate (trustee or executor) takes over. That can be the same person as the one who has POA while you're living, but a POA isa document is for someone to act on your behalf when you are alive but aren't able to.
There are medical powers of attorney where that person makes medical decisions for you and financial ones where they handle your finances. You can give someone POA to sell your house, or handle your banking and only that, or you can give someone an all-encompassing POA that covers everything. There are several different ways a POA can be handled, and you can change them whenever you like.
I hold the all-encompassing one for my mother, so I pay all her bills, could sell her house when needed, handle her investments, and I handle all her medical business. However, my folks trusted me completely to do all those things and not steal their money. If you don't have that person in your life, consider having one person hold the financial POA and another your medical POA.
This isn't without complications, though, and you really should spring for a trust and estate attorney to do this correctly, especially if you have any substantial assets. A POA is not the only part of estate planning -- it's one of four documents you should have: POA, trust, will, and advance medical directive (which is different from a living will).
PoA is only in effect while the assigner is alive. It the second they pass away. Then the executor of the will carries out their final wishes. As Alva suggested your durable PoA should ideally be someone trust very much, but should also be much younger than you (like by 15 yrs at least) and local to you if at all possible. Assigning a PoA is the most important thing to do first, and creating a Living Will for the PoA so that your end of life medical care can be communicated and carried out if you are incapacitated (like DNR, no life support, tube feeding, etc).
You will need to have an original signed copy for every PoA you assign and one for yourself. You need one individually for yourself and one for your spouse. It will need to be witnessed by 2 non-family members and notarized. You don't have to go to a lawyer, you can download forms specific for your state from online source
You should see an elder law attorney to assist you. Your power of attorney shold be someone who you trust almost as much as you trust yourself. When you give POA you are not putting this person in charge of your life, but you are trusting this person to do as you TELL THEM to do for you. That is to say, if you are speaking of HEALTH care POA you are going to have this person help you make a Health Care Directive with specific instructions as to what you want done if you be come ill, and what sort of care you do NOT want. Then, if you are not able to make the decisions, your POA will make the decisions they understand you want them to make FOR you. This person will be able to speak to the doctor and the doctor can access your health care records whereas the MD cannot share with others this information. So that is the Advanced Health Care Directive or Health Care Proxy. As to a POA for financial, this person will be there to help you pay your bills and manage your assets as you want them managed. If you become too ill to function to do this the POA will manage your assets for you as you have told them you want them managed. This gives your POA a great deal of power. They would decide where you should be placed should you need to be put into care. They would pay your bills, manage your real estate and your account, and may perhaps become your representative payee for Social Security. I suggest you go with the person you TRUST to do this (and it is a BIG JOB) for you when and if you need it done, to an attorney. The attorney will help you both understand what power you are conferring onto another, and what powers your appointee has agreed to do, all the while keeping meticulous records that would stand up in court. This is not something to do with a form off Nolo Press or some other online entity. This should be legally done and well done. If, while you are not suffering from dementia, you decide that your POA is not acting with full disclosure to you, or in your best interest, you can return to the lawyer and appoint another POA. Your Power of Attorney is only good while you live. Immediately upon your death it expires. The person who is appointed by you as the executor of your will or the trustee of your trust if you made one, takes over after death to settle your estate and to give to the beneficiaries the things you wish them to have. The attorney can check your will if you have one, or create a simple will for you when you attend to the POA work.
There are medical powers of attorney where that person makes medical decisions for you and financial ones where they handle your finances. You can give someone POA to sell your house, or handle your banking and only that, or you can give someone an all-encompassing POA that covers everything. There are several different ways a POA can be handled, and you can change them whenever you like.
I hold the all-encompassing one for my mother, so I pay all her bills, could sell her house when needed, handle her investments, and I handle all her medical business. However, my folks trusted me completely to do all those things and not steal their money. If you don't have that person in your life, consider having one person hold the financial POA and another your medical POA.
This isn't without complications, though, and you really should spring for a trust and estate attorney to do this correctly, especially if you have any substantial assets. A POA is not the only part of estate planning -- it's one of four documents you should have: POA, trust, will, and advance medical directive (which is different from a living will).
You will need to have an original signed copy for every PoA you assign and one for yourself. You need one individually for yourself and one for your spouse. It will need to be witnessed by 2 non-family members and notarized. You don't have to go to a lawyer, you can download forms specific for your state from online source
As to a POA for financial, this person will be there to help you pay your bills and manage your assets as you want them managed. If you become too ill to function to do this the POA will manage your assets for you as you have told them you want them managed. This gives your POA a great deal of power. They would decide where you should be placed should you need to be put into care. They would pay your bills, manage your real estate and your account, and may perhaps become your representative payee for Social Security.
I suggest you go with the person you TRUST to do this (and it is a BIG JOB) for you when and if you need it done, to an attorney. The attorney will help you both understand what power you are conferring onto another, and what powers your appointee has agreed to do, all the while keeping meticulous records that would stand up in court.
This is not something to do with a form off Nolo Press or some other online entity. This should be legally done and well done.
If, while you are not suffering from dementia, you decide that your POA is not acting with full disclosure to you, or in your best interest, you can return to the lawyer and appoint another POA.
Your Power of Attorney is only good while you live. Immediately upon your death it expires. The person who is appointed by you as the executor of your will or the trustee of your trust if you made one, takes over after death to settle your estate and to give to the beneficiaries the things you wish them to have. The attorney can check your will if you have one, or create a simple will for you when you attend to the POA work.