A new Web site designed to provide comprehensive information about services for senior citizens in Horry and Georgetown counties has been launched. The "Grand Strand Senior Services Directory" was developed jointly by Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

"The purpose of the site is to provide up-to-date information to benefit the region's older adults and retirees, their caregivers, and the local agencies, businesses and organizations that serve them," said Reid Johnson, director of Coastal Carolina University's Center for the Study of Aging and Active Retirement (CSAAR). The site, located on the Web at www.coastal.edu/csaar/srservices, provides detailed information on 30 categories of services, including adult day care, assisted living facilities, educational/learning opportunities, wellness/fitness activities, financial services and many others.

For each service organization, the site lists information on contact personnel, organizational mission, services provided (often including prices), and other pertinent details, plus links to their official Web sites and a "Comments" section.

Developers of the site say this online service will be particularly useful to seniors who are new to the area and to caregivers who live outside the area, enabling them to conduct a search at a "one-stop" site from any computer in the world. A bound, hard-copy version of the directory is being prepared for those who don't have access to a computer, according to Johnson.

Although the site is limited to services in Horry and Georgetown counties, Johnson says he anticipates the need to add other areas in the future.

For more information about the Grand Strand Senior Services Directory, contact Coastal's Center for the Study of Aging and Active Retirement at 349-4115.