Peer coach Kathy Kocher, top, trains Nancy Crispin, a senior aide, on the computer Monday at the Career T.R.A.C.K. office in Butler. The Senior Aide Program will conduct the Generations Online program to fill seniors in on how to navigate the World Wide Web.

Butler County's Senior Aide Program has implemented a new facet aimed at helping seniors achieve computer literacy.

The Generations Online program uses a computer program and peer coaches to help seniors learn the basics of computers.

"There was nothing in between no knowledge of computers and advanced knowledge of programs," said project director Larry Garvin.

The free program received funding for one year in July, after a six-month trial period that saw more than 150 people participate.

It is part of the national Digital Inclusion Initiative, which seeks to "reduce the divide among low-income and other older adults." The program offers one-on-one instruction on basic computer skills, including moving a mouse and sending an e-mail.

"A lot of times they come in and are very apprehensive about using computers," said Kathy Kocher, peer coach at the programs Career T.R.A.C.K. location in Butler. "But in the end, they feel like they have learned something."

The program is available at the Butler and Mars libraries, and Garvin said he wants to open a northern location. Each site has one peer coach.

The goal of the program is to assist seniors who need to navigate the Web for employment, and also to help them learn how to communicate with family online, said Carla Fritch, coach coordinator of the initiative in the county.

To participate in the program, contact a peer coach at one of the locations and schedule an individual meeting. For the Career T.R.A.C.K site, call Kathy at 724-431-4059. For the Butler library site, call Ed at 724-287-1715, Ext. 118. For the Mars library site, call Nancy at 724-625-9048.