Mainstreaming gerontology in the policy arena.

Aging has come of age and is now one of the important domestic issues facing the United States. What we do or don't do in the 1990s will determine what type of aging society we will have in the next century. The challenge we face as gerontologists is to think about new ways to help broaden the debate about preparing for an aging society in a comprehensive manner that takes into account the diverse disciplines and interest groups that will increasingly shape aging-related issues. Those who have labored in the field of aging when it was a relatively cloistered profession should delight in the new-found respect and recognition of their work by the larger society. On the other hand, this mainstreaming of aging will create new challenges and opportunities, as we look ahead to the new aging.