Westchester County Takes Stage at Statewide Conference on Aging

County's Innovation and Collaboration to Be Showcased

ALBANY, NY (10/29/2008)(readMedia)-- Westchester County's leaders will take the stage at a statewide conference to share what's become the model of aging-friendly initiatives.

The county stands out because the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services collaborated with the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging to create a blueprint for sharing resources to create aging-friendly, livable communities throughout the county. County leaders will share the steps they took to engage community members in creating a livable place for all ages.

I'd like to invite you to do an advance story on the Westchester County players in this enormous conference and include conference details in a box or pullout for those who'd be interested in coming. You're also extremely welcome to cover the conference itself. Full details are at http://www.empoweringnycommunities.org.

The conference info:

Empowering Communities for Successful Aging, Nov. 12-13, Saratoga Springs Hilton and Conference Center, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Jointly sponsored by AARP, New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging and the New York State Office for the Aging. Produced by the Albany Guardian Society.

Those from Westchester County teaching the conference session are:

Dozene Guishard, MPS, Westchester County, (914) 813-6400

Colette Phipps, MSW, Westchester County, (914) 813-6400

Other interview sources can speak to why Westchester County was chosen to lead this conference session and what it means to communities statewide:

Ken Harris, director of the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging's Center for Senior Living and Community Services, (518) 449-2707, ext. 139

Michael Burgess, director of the New York State Office for the Aging (518) 474-4425

Luci de Haan, AARP, (212) 407-3718