Two years of planning and organizing will culminate on Sunday, May 16, at a celebratory launch for At Home on the Sound, a new grassroots organization with the mission of helping Larchmont-Mamaroneck residents stay in their homes as they grow older.

The program is free to community residents who want to learn about the organization, its services and resources. The program will be held from 3-5 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Mamaroneck.

Part of a growing national movement created by and for active, independent seniors, At Home on the Sound will offer a wide array of services, discounts, referrals and social events to its members. 

Aging in Place communities are considered part of the "village movement," a grassroots effort to keep people in their own homes, in the neighborhoods they love, as they grow older, said Lynn Reichgott, president of At Home on the Sound. "Here, as in communities across the country, neighbors are banding together to organize and take charge of their later years."

But At Home on the Sound is not merely for the infirm or those who need help with daily chores and transportation, Reichgott said. Rather, it's a way for those over sixty to prepare for the time when they may need assistance. "By joining At Home on the Sound, you are saying you want to be in charge of your life – and are planning ahead to make sure you will be."

Many of the more than 100 volunteers who have been working with At Home on the Sound were drawn to the organization because of personal experiences with parents, other relatives and friends. 

"We saw firsthand how difficult it was when a crisis happened, and we want to be prepared so our children are not similarly burdened if we experience setbacks or need help," Reichgott said.

Services will be available in four core areas:

• Health and wellness: vetted and trained volunteers serve as patient advocates, do home safety checks, and provide nutritional counseling and other services
• Transportation: for doctors visits, to stores and on other errands
• Assistance with daily living: helping with home maintenance, legal and financial advice, de-cluttering assistance and technology
• Social and educational programming and special discounts at area stores, restaurants and contracted services.

At Home on the Sound hopes to serve between 200 and 300 members in its first two years. For information on fees (special inaugural rates ara available) or to learn more about the organization, contact its resource center at 545 Tompkins Ave., on the third floor of Briggs House Antiques in Mamaroneck, or by calling  914.899.3150. Information is also online at www.athomeonthesound.org.

Editor's note:the writer serves on the board of At Home on the Sound.