Free housing, finance choice panel discussion set for May 23

Mary Coupland is hoping to give residents on the Olympic Peninsula some answers to some of life’s tougher aging choices before they are forced to make them.

Coupland, through her Compass & Clock organization, is bringing “Know Your Choices Before You Have to Make Them,” a free panel and question-and-answer discussion, to the Sequim Prairie Garden Club’s clubhouse at Pioneer Memorial Park on Wednesday, May 23.

The format, Coupland says, is to bring local professionals to the table for advice and information that helps residents “connect the dots” between housing choices and financial planning.

“I’m excited about trying to raise awareness with folks, mostly in their mid-40s and (older),” Coupland said. “People plan for their vacation; they should plan for their future. This is an opportunity (to) impart you with some knowledge.”

Coupland has a number of local professionals on hand to speak to several aspects of housing and financial issues for local citizens, including representatives from Discovery Memory Care, Laurel Place, Home Instead, BrokersGroup Real Estate, Assured Hospice, Edward Jones and others.

The event is set to run 10 a.m.-noon, with light snacks and beverages provided.

“This isn’t supposed to be boring or dreary; its (designed) to be a interactive, social event,” Coupland said.

In her fifth year of bringing similar events and publications to the West Sound — she helped organize a similar event in Sequim in September of 2016 — Coupland said she dealt with a lack of information in her own family she wishes she’d had.

“Our parents are coming to us for information and we won’t have it for them,” she said. “You can’t make choices if you don’t know what your options are.”

Coupland helps produce “Compass & Clock,” a free publication designed to help aging citizens with issues from finance and health care to housing, legal guidance, leisure and family support. She said she distributed about 1,500 copies on the peninsula last week.

Copies are available throughout the community, including real estate offices, restaurants, housing facilities and the Sequim-Dungeness Chamber of Commerce.

Seating is limited, so interested parties are encouraged to RSVP soon. Register at www.compassandclock.com/events-1 or call 206-321-8016. Walk-ins are welcome, however.