Sea Coast Seniors offers free future-building seminars to senior citizens in SLO and Santa Barbara counties 

Backup plans aren't just for young people. Sea Coast Seniors educational seminars prove that equipping senior citizens with information on effectively managing their twilight years can help them avoid making crisis-driven decisions as they grow older.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Nancy Puder
• WATCHFUL RESOURCE Over 42 years as a real estate broker, Nancy Puder noticed a lack of resource planning that can set senior citizens up with more security in their twilight years—prompting her to conduct Sea Coast Seniors seminars starting in 2019.

"They want to stay in their home forever, die in their sleep, and that's their plan A," Sea Coast Seniors founder Nancy Puder said. "But it's shocking how few, and I would say less than 5 percent if that, even have a plan B."

A real estate broker for 42 years, Puder sensed the information gap when one family after another called her to list their parents' houses because of unforeseen situations like needing to move them into a nursing home or having them come live with their families.

"When I would arrive over there, it was total chaos. The kids had already made a bunch of decisions in a panic," Puder said. "I used to wonder, 'Where the heck are the people to help these people?'"

In 2019, she started Sea Coast Seniors offering free seminars to senior citizens and their families every four to six weeks. The topics include "the truth about staying independent and in charge," estate planning, trusts, wills, guardianships, senior-targeted scams and how to avoid them, and downsizing with dementia. The seminars take place in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

Puder provides these resources with the help of a curated team of professionals who work with seniors in spaces like hospices, in-home care, senior communities, and estate and trust attorneys. Movers, packers, and organizers also work with Sea Coast Seniors.

"I also have seminars on how to pay for retirement living, because, again, the majority of seniors have absolutely no idea what the costs involved are, and they're not covered by the government or Medicare, and this usually comes as a huge surprise to them and their family members," she said.

Sea Coast Seniors is able to provide free seminars with an average attendance between 45 and 60 people through a steady stream of yearly donations from sponsors. Currently Sea Coast Seniors has 10 sponsors. Interested in sponsoring or participating in one of the seminars? Call or text Puder at (805) 710-2415.

Puder keeps up with the issues facing the senior citizen community through her affiliation with the National Council on Aging and by attending Central Coast Commission on Aging meetings. She also has a senior housing associate certification under her belt as a result of a six-month course that originated in Oklahoma City. She said she plans to earn more certifications and is eyeing one related to aging in place.

The next Sea Coast Seniors seminar is tentatively set for Sept. 4 and will be about testing people's knowledge on aging skills. In other words, it'll teach seniors to think about different ways to help themselves during a difficult time.

"If you can't walk anymore in a few years, then have you looked into any resources?" Puder said. "Or are they going to drop you off at a rehab center and then send you home with no tools at all? Because that's exactly what they do."

Fast fact

• Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) will open the 2024 Section 8 interest list, also called the housing choice voucher. Income limits are generally set at 30 percent or less of the area median income. The application period starts Aug. 12 at 9 a.m. and ends Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. Once the list closes, HASLO will conduct a random lottery to select 250 names. Apply online at haslo.org. Those who live with a disability, have limited English proficiency, and/or have limited computer access can call (805) 543-4478. People who are hearing impaired can call 711. Call SLO Cal Careers at (805) 286-8530 to schedule a time to use their computers at 3450 Broad St., No. 103A. Δ

Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at [email protected].