Never underestimate your power to make a difference! Every individual has the potential to increase public understanding of aging issues through simple techniques. From a mere letter to the editor to a phone call to a senator, each activity will serve to enhance public understanding regarding the importance of advocacy.

The key to senior empowerment is training and education. Seniors need to be aware of the legislation that affects them and let their legislators know how they feel. Read many publications, such as legislative bulletins, to keep an eye out for significant issues. Talk to others who have been active in the legislative arena.

Learn as much about the legislative process as you can. Learn how laws begin at every level. Identify who regularly introduces and votes for legislation favorable to your interests, as well as who chairs the vital committees. Also determine where and by whom important decisions are made.

Know the legislators who represent your area. Keep an updated list of your national, state and local legislators' names and addresses as well as those of their aides. Make these available to others.

Write a letter to each legislator describing the important issues and request that you be kept informed of pending legislation in your area of interest. Tell them that you would be glad to provide them with information regarding the impact of the proposed legislation and how it will affect you and other constituents. Read their responses carefully; check facts, figures, and voting records. When appropriate, let your representative know you are interested in a specific piece of legislation and maintain continual involvement in the legislative process.

Allow time to meet with legislative staff when you are in the capitol or they are in your county. Prepare carefully for these meetings and know in advance what message you wish to convey. Be certain that they understand their legislative decisions affect real people in your community.

Let legislators know your stand on pending legislation. Provide facts and figures regarding how a particular piece of legislation will affect the constituency served by the legislator.

Express your appreciation often and publicly. Those legislators who are sympathetic to your cause and who act accordingly deserve your public and private support.

WHEN AN ISSUE CONCERNS YOU - Write to your congressional representative and your two senators outlining the issue. Give them background information on causes and effects. Make sure they understand why the problem is important to you and other people. Urge others to write as well.

WHEN IT IS IN COMMITTEE - Write the chair of the committee and your own legislators urging passage of the bill under consideration.

WHEN THERE IS A FLOOR DEBATE - Now is the time to really put on the heat. Letter, telegrams, and phone calls should be used as often as possible to gain your legislators support. Also, organize a letter-writing campaign at this time.

WHEN IT GOES TO CONFERENCE - There are usually some efforts to weaken the bill in either the House or the Senate. Write to committee members from your state and to any member who may wish to water down the bill, urging them to hold firm.

WHEN IT GOES TO THE GOVERNOR - You should add your voice to those who encourage the Governor to sign the bill, even though there is a great likelihood it will be signed. The Governor needs to know that there are people who are interested and concerned.

IF IT IS VETOED - Write . . . Phone . . . Wire . . . And Visit your legislators whenever it is possible to do so. Ask others to write.

• Your legislator likes to hear opinions from home and wants to be kept informed regarding the thinking of his/her constituents.
• If writing about a specific bill, describe it by number or its popular name.
• Your legislator likes intelligent, well-thought-out letters which present a definite opinion.
• Even more important and valuable is a concrete statement of the reasons for your opinion, particularly if you are writing about a field in which you have specialized knowledge.
• Short letters are almost always best.
• Letters should be timed to arrive while the issue is alive.

• Letters that merely demand or insist that your legislator vote for or against a bill, or that tell him/her how to vote but not why.
• Threats of defeat at the next election.
• Boasts of how influential the writer is in his/her own community.
• Asking the legislator to make a commitment on a particular bill before the committee in charge of the subject has had a chance to hear the evidence and make its report.
• Form letters or letters which include excerpts from other letters on the same subject.
• Writing to a legislator from another district except when the letter deals with a matter before a committee of which s/he is a member.