AGS efforts -- on behalf of its members, their patients, and other older adults -- to ensure that public policy supports quality care for all older people, is also invaluable.  Charles A. Cefalu MD, MS

There are countless reasons why I joined the AGS, have renewed my membership since 1980, and will continue to do so in the future.

First, there are the personal benefits. Membership offers me an opportunity to network with over 6,500 other colleagues who are also members - at AGS' Annual Scientific Meeting and through personal e-mail communications throughout the year. This networking allows me to keep abreast of grant opportunities and employment opportunities, among other things. In addition, it allows me to submit scientific abstracts and obtain additional professional recognition as a committed and active member of the geriatrics community, and to advance as a fellow of the AGS.

As an AGS member I also have the opportunity to join and attend the meetings of Society committees, sections, and special interest groups. (The list of special interest groups is too long to include here.) In addition, I have access to the Society's Membership Directory, which makes it easy to stay in touch with the AGS community online.

Then there's AGS' online members-only Web site, which includes a variety of geriatric resources -- AGS Knowledge Resources for ABIM Self-Evaluation Process Modules; one-click access to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS); AGS Coding Corner, the AGS Practice Management Toolkit (to promote my clinical practice); AGS Legislative Toolkit (to help promote AGS' public policy agenda through advocacy), and much much more. As a member, I've also been offered the AGS credit card; using the card benefits the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging's Student Research Fund.

Because I belong to the AGS, I receive electronic member mailings -- such as AGS' weekly list serv, AGS Week in Review, and its quarterly newsletter. These mailings cover upcoming certification examinations, top quality educational programs, other resources and products, relevant public policy developments (including important changes in and proposals regarding Medicare and Medicaid), and AGS' policy advocacy work. I also receive the highest quality geriatric journal publications every month -- not only JAGS but also Annals of Long-Term Care, Clinical Care and Aging, and Clinical Geriatrics. I get discounts on all AGS products, a discounted subscription rate for Age and Ageing, and reduced registration fees for the Annual Scientific Meeting.

AGS efforts -- on behalf of its members, their patients, and other older adults -- to ensure that public policy supports quality care for all older people, is also invaluable. Not only does the Society advocate for such policy, it supports and encourages my efforts to contact, meet with and communicate our public policy priorities to my state and US Congressman and Senators. AGS staff and our highly effective Washington, D.C. - based policy consultants at WolfeBlock greatly facilitate these efforts.

In summary, AGS membership affords me "one-stop shopping" for all my professional needs. If you've not yet joined or rejoined, I encourage you to do so now. With the oldest of the baby boomers on the brink of retirement, we'll see significant increases in the aging population for many years to come. Your membership is critical to AGS' ability to realize our shared goals by improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people through initiatives in clinical practice, professional and public education, research and public policy.

No other professional geriatric or other professional organization accomplishes what AGS accomplishes for you and the geriatric community.

Charles A. Cefalu MD, MS, AGS Member, Professor and Associate Chairman at LSU School of Medicine, Slidell, Louisiana.