Advocacy has been a hallmark of progress in the field of aging in the United States. Since the 1930s, champions of older people have pressed to make elders' lives better, from demonstrations at town meeting to the realms of policy formulation at the state and national level, to everyday interventions in nursing homes and community-care settings. But where are the advocates now? Who will push and pull us to address the challenges of an aging society in the twenty-first century? This issue, guest-edited by Richard Browdie, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging, includes history and policy from top scholars and advocates, from the Alzheimer's Association to AARP, with analysis of that organization's stand on the new Medicare prescription drug bill. A guide to the nuts and bolts of advocacy and policy at the federal, state, and local level will be of interest to a broad range of readers.