Judy,
You may use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox as a browser, and you may also have AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) open on the desktop so you may send and receive IMs. The AIM is a separate piece of software you may download for free.
Go here and take a look and download
By the way, have you tried to deal with AOL directly or search AOL tech support on this? AOL tech support may be able to help.