White Plains, NY - There is still time for Westchester County residents age 60 and over to take the anonymous Elder Economic Security Standard Index Survey to determine whether their income covers their basic needs of food, transportation, healthcare insurance and housing.

The deadline is Dec. 31.

Seniors who have Internet access can complete the survey at www.westchestergov.com/seniors. Seniors who do not or who want assistance in doing the survey should contact Colette Phipps at (914) 813-6441 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to receive a survey by mail.

Survey results will be tallied and compiled by zip code in 2013 to create a portrait of the economic   security of Westchester seniors. The county will share its findings with the public as well as with service providers, senior advocates and policymakers.

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said no senior should miss this opportunity to be part of the survey.

“Seniors who have not yet taken the survey would be wise to make it a priority,” Astorino said. “Once we have the results, we’ll have a better picture of where to put our tax dollars to have the most impact for seniors.”

The survey is part of the Livable Communities Initiative, the signature program of the county’s Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS). It is sponsored by DSPS and the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services.

The project is vitally important for the county’s 191 Livable Villages, which are places where seniors can continue to live in their homes as they age with dignity and independence and where “neighbor-helping-neighbor” is a way of life.

DSPS Commissioner Mae Carpenter said the survey feedback will be a blueprint for its projects in future years.

“We might not be able to shift the wind, but we may be able to tilt the sails,” Carpenter said. “Of course, we first have to know which way the wind is blowing.”

The survey was developed by Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) in collaboration with the Gerontology Institute of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and the New York Statewide Senior Action Council.

The findings from the Westchester survey will be compared to benchmark figures WOW and the Gerontology Institute developed for every county in 17 states, including New York.

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