AARP New York will lead three online seminars starting March 24 on major issues that confront Westchester County seniors: housing, transportation and “walkability,” which looks at the condition of streets and roads in various neighborhoods.

The seminars – also called “webinars” – will take place on AARP’s new interactive Web site. Their goal is to make the county as senior-friendly as possible and reduce the number of older adults moving out of Westchester to more affordable counties in New York or to other states.

The topics will be:

• March 24, “Living at Home: Can You Meet Your Needs?”
• March 31, “Getting There Without a Car: Assessing Transportation Options in Westchester”
• April 7, “Walking Safely and Comfortably: Assessing Streets and Roads for Walking in Westchester”

The webinars will start at 10 a.m. and be hosted by leading AARP experts. Commissioner Mae Carpenter of the county’s Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) will be a guest on the March 24 housing program.

AARP’s new site is part of its ongoing collaboration on the Livable Communities Initiative with DSPS, the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services and the Volunteer Center of United Way of Westchester and Putnam.

Registration is required to take part in one or all of the webinars, which will include a “tour” of the Web site and tips on how participants can assess their neighborhoods. Sign up now. Those who sign up will receive the telephone number to call on the day of the event.

In addition, the new Web site has surveys that participants can complete before or after the seminars. Some questions on the transportation survey, for example, ask if traffic signals are located at pedestrian crossings and if the sidewalks have resting places for pedestrians, such as benches or low walls.

Seniors can download the completed surveys and fax them to AARP at (212) 644-6390 or send them by regular mail to Will Stoner, AARP New York, 780 Third Ave., 32nd floor, New York, N.Y. 10017. AARP in turn, will share the responses with volunteers in DSPS’ Livable Communities initiative, elected officials, administrators and others, who will try to take steps to act on the concerns seniors raise.

Lois Wagh Aronstein, senior state director of AARP, said that the approach in Westchester is the first of its kind for the organization, which expects to eventually use it nationwide.

Carpenter said the online resource is an innovative way to enable seniors to remain active in their communities as well as a valuable resource for adult children caring for aging parents.

“It empowers seniors to easily let their voices be heard by the people who can bring about change,” she said. “What’s more is that they can take the surveys in the warmth and comfort of their own home. I encourage them to use this wonderful site.”

The aarplivability.org connection is part of a Web portal that AARP developed with DSPS. A Web portal offers “one-stop shopping” on a particular topic - such as livable communities - because it has many related links that users can readily access to learn more.