In November, IPR Director Fay Lomax Cook ended her year-long tenure as president of the Gerontological Society of America at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The gathering culminated in Cook’s testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Throughout the year, Cook emphasized the year’s GSA theme: “Linking Research to Policy, Practice, and Education: Lessons Learned, Tasks Ahead.” She challenged scholars to understand the implications their research has for social policies, social programs, and education. About 3,000 gerontologists gathered for the event.

As the 2000 presidential election showed, policies that affect older people—Social Security, prescription drugs, Medicare—are at the forefront of national concern.

Before Congress, Cook gave the opening remarks for a presentation on “Living Longer, Living Better: The Challenges to Policymakers.” The challenge “is not to add more years but to add better years,” she said. She introduced a discussion by four experts on the areas of work, income, health, and family.

Past federal policies that affect the lives of older Americans have separately addressed these areas, but Cook argued that Congress members should use an integrated approach when making policies that affect older adults. For example, prescription drugs most obviously deal with health, but as older adults seek ways to pay for the medication, both family and income become affected.

Cook also continued the soci-ety’s strategic planning. As the study of aging has grown over the past 20 years, many academic disciplines have launched research branches that deal with aging. The GSA is reasserting itself as the center for interdisciplinary research on aging.